Volume 20 Issue 7
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Portage, Mich.
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May 21, 2014
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What’s Inside...
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Portage Central High School
Class of
[SENIOR ISSUE INSIDE!]
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STAMPEDE
Congratulations,
page New officers ready to lead
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Teachers in transition
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Senior kindergarten pictures
[SENIOR ISSUE]
news
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New officers ready to run school Student Council officers aim to increase student participation next year BY LUCY FORSTER
lforster@centralstampede.com
Nico Schuen /STAMPEDE
Meet
the Officers: From left to right: President Ben Palmer, Vice President Natalie Liou, Secretary Ian Epkey, Parliamentarian Emily Quertermus and Treasurer Kevin Zhu.
Junior Kevin Zhu will also stay in his current position as treasurer. According to Zhu, he wants to implement a “stricter monetary management” to help keep the budget in check. “I want to increase the role of the secretary and treasurer positions,” Zhu said. “This way they will be more involved in events.” Both Epkey and Zhu agree that they want to see more student participation in the upcoming year. “We want to create new, untraditional events to hopefully increase student participation,” Zhu
said. Epkey also feels strongly about student participation and he wants everyone to get involved. “I want people to be more spirited about what’s going on in the school,” Epkey said. All student council members hope to create fun events next year to get students involved and excited. The five officers feel that there can always be more school spirit. They all share a common goal of trying to increase overall participation around school.
Administrators are debating about starting the school year earlier mjaqua@centralstampede.com
News Editor
Ever since Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a new law in 2005, students have always started school after Labor Day in September. But after the harsh winter and the excessive amount of snow days, changes might be made to the schedule for the beginning of the school year starting next year. The law was originally passed so that the state could possibly collect more tourism dollars on that vacation weekend, according to principal Eric Alburtus. “That after Labor Day change was really for the business community and not for schools,” Alburtus said. Despite this, there are waivers that schools can receive so that they can start their year earlier, and being an IB school is one of them. To Alburtus, this circumstance makes sense.
Scott preparing for mission trip to Africa
EFA and EFE classes hand out scholarships to seniors
Numerous snow days may change 2014-2015 school year schedule BY MADISON JAQUA
Brief
in
On June 13, Mary Scott will be taking her annual mission trip to Mozambique, Africa. She will be visiting the villages and orphanages there to help children and mothers. There have been several cyclones that have destroyed peoples’ homes. Scott will be helping out those lost families by playing with toddlers and orphans. Along with helping out in the villages, she is also bringing a suitcase full of toys and gifts for the children.
Staff Writer
The year is coming to a close, but newly elected Student Council officers Ben Palmer, Natalie Liou, Emily Quertermus, Ian Epkey and Kevin Zhu are as busy as ever preparing to represent the school next year. Junior Ben Palmer has filled the role of president and sophomore Natalie Liou is the vice president. Liou will have the role of helping to plan blood drives, Breadlift and the talent show next year, and she eagerly anticipates the challenge. “I feel like I can be a good leader,” Liou said. “I’m very excited to plan Breadlift and I hope to plan well-run events so that everyone involved has fun.” Sophomore Emily Quertermus, the new parliamentarian, will be involved in planning homecoming and Sadie Hawkins next year. Quertermus looks forward to her new role next year because she greatly enjoys being involved in school events as she has been in school leadership positions since third grade. Although Quertermus is excited for the upcoming year, her campaign did not come without some anxiety. “I wasn’t that confident I would be the next parliamentarian, because I was running against two other people who would’ve done equally as well in the position,” Quertermus said. Junior Ian Epkey will continue in the position of secretary for the 2014-2015 school year. He hopes to put more focus on student involvement next year. “I want to make advertising more accessible to students so they know what is going on,” Epkey said.
May 21, 2014
“There’s a certain logic to it because May is shot for students taking IB exams and then it gets tight, especially when you have a year like this with all the snow days,” Alburtus said. If the year were to start earlier, students would have more days off during the school year. According to Alburtus, at the state level there is a lot of interest in a schedule similar to that of schools in Europe. “I have two nieces who live in Germany who go to school about the same number of days as us; it’s just their vacations are more spread out,” Alburtus said. “Their summer vacation is six weeks and then they have two weeks off in the fall, two or three weeks off for winter break, a week off in February and then two weeks off for spring break.” Although there is a big push for that type of schedule at the state level, the people at the local level aren’t as quick to make big changes. Alburtus knows that the final decision will come down to an agreement between the superinten-
dent and administration and the teacher union representatives. Students have mixed opinions on this new possible school year change. Junior Amanda Shinevare doesn’t like the chance of having a shorter summer, but can see the benefits in the longer school year. “I wouldn’t like starting earlier because it would mean a shorter summer,” Shinevare said. “But if we had another year like we did this year with all the snow days, it would be helpful to have a better opportunity to work around that and learn more.” On the other hand, there are students like sophomore Davin Renda who see the gains in starting school earlier than Labor Day. “I feel like starting earlier is a good idea, because the days off during the year can really slow things down and give well-needed breaks to the students and staff,” Rhenda said. As of now though, Alburtus said nothing is official.
On April 24, seniors from schools in Kalamazoo county were awarded with scholarship money from their EFE classes for being “Outstanding Seniors.” There were many seniors from Portage Central who were awarded up to $1,000 in scholarship money. Alexandra Crowell received $500 from The Ample Pantry. Shelby Mannes received $1,000 from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Payton Mills received $500 from Burdick-Thorne Foundation. Mitchell Newhouse received $1,000 from Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Jacob Peterson received $500 from Flowserve Corporation. Marissa Quivey received $500 from Sue Lignell. Alec Raifsnider received $500 from Home Builders Association. Stephanie Raifsnider received $500 from Kalamazoo RESA Foundation. Hannah Thomas received $500 from Kalamazoo RESA Foundation.
First annual wellness fair is a success On May 9, the library hosted its first annual wellness fair, “Health Matters @ Your Library,” with help from librarian Sara Brown. The fair featured many stations including drunk goggles, finding out your life expectancy, next year’s muffin cart samples, smoothie tasting, golden retrievers and many more. Turnout was high, and many enjoyed the experience. According to Brown, the fair went really well and she is planning on doing another fair next year with a little more preparation. Visit centralstampede.com to view pictures of the fair.
Bridge building team goes to national competition This week, juniors Luke Ostrem, Josh McAllister, Trevor West, Keerthan Velagalety, John Kopp and Katelyn Kring are in Kentucky for the National Bridge Building contest. Last month, the team placed seventh at the state level.
Final exams coming up as year comes to a close Exams start on Wednesday, June 4, and run through Monday, June 9. Students will take two exams a day, with their first exam starting at 7:45 a.m. and the second one starting at 9:55 a.m. Students will be dismissed for the day at 11:55 a.m. On Monday, June 9, students will take their seventh hour exam and then be dismissed. After seventh hour exams, there will be makeup exams.
news
May 21, 2014
New trend causing problems Illegal activities in the bathroom create concern for school BY BRIAN TAGGETT AND SCOTT SOLOMON
in use to the increased opportunity to purchase vaporizers in the area. btaggett@centralstampede.com and ssolomon@centralstampede.org Despite the popularity amongst some students, the majority disagree with the idea of using tobacco products in school. JuStaff Writer and Editor-in-Chief nior Ian Epkey is one of the students who has a negative perception of vaporizing. With more than 115 security cameras at Portage Central, “It is so obvious what they are doing in there,” Epkey said. there are few “blind spots” in the 240,000-square-foot school. “When they stand in However, for privacy a little circle in the reasons, the restrooms stall together, I kind have no surveillance of doubt they are cameras. The lack of just trading Pokemon cameras creates an issue cards. If they care where unlawful behavabout their future, ior can bypass monithey should be in toring. Some incidents class learning.” in the bathroom have Some of the main ranged from graffiti, areas where students fights and drug use. uses vaporizers durHowever, the ading school is in the ministration has created bathrooms in the a monitoring system to morning, during class limit unlawful behavand during passing ior, despite the absence period. of cameras in the bathStudents who are rooms. According to caught in possession Assistant Principal Jaor using a vaporizer son Frink, hall monitors will be forced to face periodically check baththe consequences rooms to prevent any outlined in the code unlawful behavior. of conduct. Although Also, surveillance many students argue cameras outside the they aren’t using nicbathroom help track otine, it is still a prodstudents entering and uct that can be used leaving, which can be with tobacco, making investigated. it banned on school “Although we cangrounds, according to not have cameras in the Frink. bathrooms, if we see the “Even if you’re 18, same three people combecause this is a toing from different parts bacco-free zone, and Nico Schuen and Hattie Foley /STAMPEDE of the school, to the I realize that vapes same bathroom, at the do not use tobacco same time, on any sort of directly, but they use Getting Caught: Some students have been “vaping” in the bathroom. a regular basis, then a tobacco derivative, or we will probably have they have the capabilsomebody walk in there to see what’s going on,” Frink said. ity of using a tobacco derivative,” Frink said. “We would look at However, with the increase in production of alternative cigait as a smoking accessory.” rettes, students’ use of these alternatives, like vaporizors, has Students who are caught with vaporizers in the bathroom also increased. also face extra consequences if they are athletes or involved in According to Frink, there has been a rise in the last couple activities, as possession of tobacco products is a violation of the years of use of vaporizers at school. Frink attributes this increase code of conduct.
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Changes come for IB essay writers BY MADISON JAQUA
mjaqua@centralstampede.com
News Editor
As part of the IB Diploma Program, all candidates must write a 4,000-word essay on a topic of their choice, called the Extended Essay. Students choose a topic and then are assigned an advisor who keeps them on track and assists them in finding valuable sources. In past years, students have written the essay during the summer after their junior year. They attended summer work sessions to stay on track and check in with their advisor to ensure they’re keeping up with due dates. Along with writing the essay, students must also take a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class. This class has always been a full-year, senior-level class, until this year. Students are now taking one semester at the end of their junior year and then finishing the class in the first semester of their senior year. This year also brings new changes to the Extended Essay process. Instead of having students write their papers over the summer, they will begin work in their TOK classes, which they are now taking as two separate semesters. “We want you to get started on it before you leave for the summer, and then just finish it up over the summer,” said Chuck Schira, the IB coordinator. According to Schira, this is the first year since the TOK class and the Extended Essay process changed, and it came after the school’s most recent evaluation by IB. “Every year we look at how we can improve some of the things we do at IB, and so we decided to change the Extended Essay process,” Schira said. One of the main issues with the old process was that students waited until the last minute to complete their Extended Essay. “Procrastination was a big problem,” Schira said. “Students wouldn’t just do little bits of it along the way, they would wait until the last minute and then try to write it all over a weekend.” Andrew Beckman, a senior who wrote his Extended Essay over the summer, agrees with Schira. “I wish we had more time to work on it in school,” Beckman said. “Doing it over the summer made everyone procrastinate.” However, not all students are excited about the change in the timeline of the essay. Junior Katie Beukema, now in the process of writing her essay, believes that many students are extremely busy at the end of their junior year. “I would rather write it over the summer because I have a lot more time over the summer,” Beukema said. “I don’t have time in the spring with sports.” Although students are choosing sides in the debate over which way is better to write the Extended Essay, most students can agree that the essay is a somewhat daunting obstacle to overcome to get the IB diploma. But Schira reminds his students that it’s a helpful thing for them to do. “We want the Extended Essay to be a learning experience,” Schira said. “It’s really not bad to write, you’d be surprised.”
New Student Council president plans mission trip to Africa this summer BY KAITLYN BATES
kbates@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
Ben Palmer
Ben Palmer, the school’s new president, will be busy this summer not only preparing to represent the school, but also getting ready to travel halfway around the world. He has already served on Student Council as a representative, but now he is ready and excited to take his place as the president. “I’m looking forward to working with the new officers next year and helping to make Student Council more a part of things at our school,” Palmer said. Running unopposed for office didn’t mean
Palmer wasn’t qualified for the position. He is involved in sports and has helped out with many school events over the years as a representative. With his positive school spirit and past experience with the school’s politics, no one has disputed that Palmer will try his hardest to make our school a better place. This summer, Palmer will travel to Uganda with his family to work at an orphanage. They plan to be there for 10 days working with the Ugandan children. They don’t have any specific plans for what they will be doing when they arrive, but they are up for anything.
“We could be doing anything from changing diapers to painting walls,” Palmer said. ”It doesn’t really matter what we’re doing, either way it will be a great experience.” Palmer has a variety of fun activities he is doing in his free time, like playing sports such as disc golf and basketball. He also goes to his youth group “Young Life” every week, and he enjoys reading. Palmer certainly will have a lot on his plate as school president and making time for his extracurricular activities, but he seems up for the challenge. “I’m excited to represent the school, and can’t wait to be a bigger part of it next year,” Palmer said.
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Adding character to school building would increase school spirit
When today’s graduating seniors think back to the 2010-11 school year, they remember the old school, the graduating class of 2011, their first dances and football games attended as high schoolers, their first Homecoming dress-up days, and the handprint mural down the hall from Mr. Freeland’s. There are still dances and football games, still fundraisers and Homecoming, but it hasn’t seemed the same the past three years. We think with the graduation of the Class of 2011, the level of school spirit has increasingly become less and less prevalent. For those of you who didn’t know the old school, it was a very homey, colorful building - there was a mural constructed with student handprints, papers and projects hung all over the walls, teachers’ classroom doors and ceiling tiles were painted, papers were stuck to lockers advertising school events. Our current school building is very bland compared to the building where students were first introduced to what it means to be in “high school.” We understand that no one wants this new building looking like a dump. On the other hand, it is possible to add some character to our school without it becoming an eyesore. We agree that there are too many white walls in this building currently, and seeing it day-after-day can become a little routine and saddening. Imagine if,
May 21, 2014
instead of staring at white walls day after day, we were able to see murals and pictures as we walked down the halls. We believe that the change in attitude would be remarkable. Also, we think bulletin boards are a good idea to cover the bare walls, but not simply placed at the end of the halls where no one will see them. There are plenty of other white walls to hang bulletin boards, where students would be more likely to see them. If nothing else, we suggest investing in some inexpensive cork strips, like those the teachers have in their classrooms, to install in the hallways. This way, we would be able to hang papers and artwork without damaging the walls. We also think that part of the decrease in school spirit may be because students’ schedules are so crammed full of work and activities that they simply don’t have the energy or time to participate anymore. While the lack of time and energy may have an effect on school spirit within the student body, we believe that the transfer to a new building was the ultimate factor in the decrease of school spirit. Nearly every feature of our school has become mainstream and institutionalized. However, there is a way to add character without destroying the school, and we think that if students were given that inspiration again, administrators, teachers and students would see a noticeable increase in school spirit.
Stampede Staff
five on five Caden Burns, 9th
Chloe Welsh, 10th
Tim Walsh, 11th
Lauren Ammar Scott Solomon Editors-in-Chief
Mr. Tabor
Mandy Quinones, 12th
1. Have you ever witnessed any unlawfulness in the bathroom? Nah.
Yes, people use those nicotine vaporizers.
No... of course not.
Yeah, it’s like people aim for anywhere but the toilet. Vaping is a guy thing, by the way.
Is not washing your hands a crime? I once saw four people in the same stall but it smelled perfectly fine.
2. Should girls be allowed to play boys’ sports? Only to warm benches.
Yes, boys and girls are equal. (:
Only if they let me be a cheerleader.
Hey, if they can keep up, they should totally go for it.
Sure thing. Women are better than men 99 percent of the time, anyway.
3. How would you describe your summer style? I hit up Hooters on the daily.
Modest and conservative.
Easy, breezy, beautiful.
Lazy and content?
I wear clothes because I have to.
4. Which summer concerts are you looking foward to? Can’t wait for Jawad’s album to drop.
Fitz & the Tantrums!
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s “Concerto in D Major.”
I’m not cool enough to go to any ):
Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, One Direction... the list goes on and on.
5. If it was possible, should we upgrade McCamley Field or build Northern a field? Give the Northern kids their own.
Why would we build Northern a field?
Upgrade McCamley. The field is getting old and could use an upgrade.
Build Northern a field. It’s awkward to play against them and not be the home team. They’re not the homies.
Build Northern a new field. I hate cleaning up dog droppings.
Madison Jaqua.....................................News Editor Katie Drews...........................................View Editor Rachel Bates........................................Focus Editor Devon Wilson........................................Vibe Editor Jared Lutz...........................................Sports Editor Alex Block......................................... Online Editor Hattie Foley........................................Photo Editor Assistant Editors/Staff Writers: Katie Bates, Ethan Dunlop, Lucy Forster, Dayton Juday, Matthew Lightfoot, Dakotah Lilly, Shelby Mannes, Caitlin Matthews, Gabe Pedraza, Nico Schuen, Brian Tagget, Andrew Wolf, Austin Wolf Business Manager: Ryan McNassor 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 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. Phone: (269) 323-5218 Fax: (269) 323-5290
The Central Stampede
Portage Central High School 8135 South Westnedge Ave. Portage, MI 49002
Stampede’s Spartan Award is school’s honor editorin-chief
Scott Solomon
ssolomon@centralstampede.com Last month, here at the Stampede, we received the top award a high school newspaper in the state of Michigan can receive: the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s “Spartan Award.” This award is given to the top high school newspapers in the state after being evaluated by a group of outof-state judges. This award was an honor to all of us at the Stampede and it took much effort from our writers, editors, photographers, and of course, our adviser.
While we are the ones who produce this newspaper, we could not have earned this recognition without help from students, staff, administrators and fellow Mustangs alike. If it weren’t for all of the activities, extracurriculars and events going on around the school, there would be nothing for us to write about. Sources are always cooperative and generally excited to be featured in a Stampede story. One of the most prevalent figures featured in news stories is Principal Eric Alburtus, who never shies away from an interview and is always a great help to us. As well as being
reliable sources, our administration has also taken a hands-off approach with regards to the content of the Stampede. As opposed to some schools who rampantly censor their newspapers, we never run into problems with the administration, and we could not be more thankful. When we have our monthly staff meeting to decide what stories to put in the paper, we never have a problem coming up with ideas. The only problem we run across is when we are not able to cover everything that’s going on around the school. Our students, teachers and admin-
istrators are extremely active outside of the classrooms, making it easy to find stories to write. Whether our football team is in the state semi-finals or our drama department is staging on a new musical, there is always a story to cover. Not only do sports and extracurriculars leave us full of stories to write, there are always individual students with their own personal stories, which are noteworthy. We are never short on features to write about students, whether it be a student earning a 36 on the ACT or traveling the world and losing his green card. Receiving this award is nothing more than an acknowledgment to everything that makes Portage Central so great. Not only is this an award for the Stampede, but this is a recognition of how outstanding our school is, as well.
Is Title IX still necessary? Title IX leads to staff gender equality, writer making the U.S. a S h e l b y M a n n es smannes@centralstampede.com better place Men and women are generally treated equally in the professional world. Additionally, men and women alike can own land, work, vote and much more. Prior to Title IX, our schools didn’t allow men to take classes offered to women and women were not allowed to play sports offered to men. So I must ask this question: why can’t men and women be treated equally regarding school activities and sports? Title IX, of the Education Amendments of 1972, protects people from this discrimination. Title IX finally gave women the chance to play sports in high school and not just be the cheerleaders at the football games anymore. It gave women the chance to be equal to men in sports and have their chance to play sports competitively. Not only did this give women the chance to have equality in sports, but also in academics. Before Title IX, men couldn’t take certain classes that were offered to women. Title IX also made their educational opportunities equal. According to the website Title IX History Fair, “The number of college athletic scholarships given to women has increased by more than 46 percent, giving more women the chance to attend college.” I think the greatest part of Title IX is that it finally gave male students the chance to join the cheerleading squad and compete in figure skating. This is when beach volleyball for men started to become popular as well.
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May 21, 2014
Today, since men are typically physically larger than most women,there are still some issues within sports in schools. Men’s lacrosse and football are great examples of this; both of these sports are offered here, and they are very physical, contact sports. There isn’t a women’s football team and girl’s lacrosse is practically a different sport compared to men’s lacrosse. Sometimes Title IX is mistaken as only favoring women, when women before it were frowned upon for wanting to be equal to men. Women were always seen as the housewives, the ones who weren’t lifting weights and not smart enough to work. Title IX equaled the playing field for both genders in sports and academics, and the country is a better place because of it.
It no longer staff serves the purpose writer it was initially Ethan Dunlop edunlop@centralstampede.com intended for In 1972, Title IX passed giving females and males equal opportunities in athletics and other events. I am not against the law, although it does need to be amended. This year at Portage C e n tral, a female was accepted to the men’s varsity g o l f team, which is legal. However, if a male wanted to try out for a fem a l e sport, h e would b e turned down. Title IX was all about being fair, but really, the law favors women. Our lacrosse program has evolved a lot over the past five years. Last year, the team advanced to the regional semifinal game, falling short to Forest Hills Central. Even after their accomplishments, lacrosse is still a club sport because there cannot be more men’s varsity sports than women’s varsity
sports. In order for the lacrosse team to become a varsity sport, our school would have to add a women’s varsity sport. Women right now are allowed to surpass men in number of high school sports that they can play, according to Title IX. Men have turned into the new minorities in high school sports. Volleyball is one of the most popular women’s sports and we don’t have a men’s volleyball team. So, it would be fair to let a male play on the women’s volleyball team. Men, however, can’t play on the volleyball team, because of the higher net height standards for men. The law of Title IX does not allow males to play on a female team, but women can play on a men’s team. If there is a sport offered to both genders, the athlete should only be allowed to play for their specific gender’s team. It is not fair to people who tried out and got cut because they let a player of the opposite gender be a member on that team.The big question that Title IX has failed to answer: why can a female play on a male team but males can’t play on a female team? Women should have the right to play men’s hockey and football because there is not a female football or female hockey team, but why do they have the right to play a men’s sport when there is a women’s sport offered? Why can’t football players who like soccer play girls’ soccer in the spring? I am all for the law, but it needs to be amended so men’s varsity teams can finally be appreciated in their own school, like our underrated lacrosse team.
Requirements for community service need to be updated
staff writer
G a b e P ed r a z a
gpedraza@centralstampede.com Community service is a great character- building task, which I think is essential to the well-being of the student body. Here at Portage Central, the school recognizes students for their community service accomplishments every year in an awards ceremony in the spring. This year, several students did not get the recognition they deserved due to a simple mistake in the monitoring of community service hours. With the number of students actively involved in community service, the system may be overwhelmed and and new rules may need to be put in place. The Rotary Club or some other club might be a more effective alternative to the compiling and monitoring of hours to be counted. Currently, the policy for community service hours is that they must be turned in two weeks maximum from the date completed. This policy is not fair to the student putting his or her time and extra effort to help out our community. Several times this year, I turned service hours in late that ended up not counting at all with the school, due to either not getting the hours signed in time or forgetting them. More often than not, students are simply overwhelmed by balancing schoolwork, jobs, extracurricular activities, and then, on top of it, having to remember to turn in hours. Community service is supposed to come from the charitable goodness of our heart. It is a worthy commitment. On the other side, when a student does service I think it should be at least recognized and counted for something. Several kids this year were not recognized for the community service award due to uncounted late hours. This is not fair to the volunteer. The deadline needs to be extended. It is not acceptable for students who have put in more than 60 hours of service to only be recognized for 40 hours. Certainly, students should not cram all their hours into short periods just to get the award. Summer is a perfect opportunity to get volunteer hours, with many organizations currently seeking volunteers. In short, the student body as a whole should be doing its part to help our community, but at the same time, we should not have to count, track, and tally the hours like a job to get our reward. Somehow, the current system does not add up.
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Inside scoop on summer trends Achieving Learn what’s hot in women and men’s fashion for the upcoming season BY ANDREW WOLF
along with chinos and shorts to add a needed flair their feminine side a bit and wear tailored short to an ensemble that may be shorts. Stylist Thom Brown otherwise lacking. Popular Staff Writer embraces this trend and states men’s style icons Jeremy why the shorts are “a-okay” for Piven and Oliver Cheshire, Summer is approaching quickly, and you mens fashion: “Because of the are two men who are concould be left behind wearing way they’re taisidered to be the bestlast season’s styles! As everylored, they are dressed men on television. one knows, new seasons have as dressed as Adam Levine even has his a different style blend from the a pair of long own clothing line for men, previous years. This summer, trousers.” Flowhich has become somethe style en vogue is retro chic, rals are here to what of a sensation. as we see the groundbreaking stay for men’s Lana Del Rey and Elflorals from spring take a close, fashion this sealie Goulding are becoming cuffed shorts and patterned son. Most new more and more popular shirts are being ushered in. shirts and tanks with their unique sense of It’s no secret that this sumare printed woman’s fashion, which mer will not end up being as with some kind blends a bit of eighties retro stifling as the last three we of floral design with new hipster-esque have had, due to our lengthto them. Men’s flares. Plunging necklines, ened winter. The lower temflorals grew ripped denim and sheer peratures and potential raindarker, coverfabrics are large parts of storms won’t stop people from ing a range Vera Wang’s summer line, dressing in their stylish short of silhouettes which was shown at the shorts and tank tops. With that are actu2014 New York Fashion this summer’s style being retro ally wearable Week.Tucked-in printed chic, shorter, patterned shorts and blooming blouses with some cuffed and flowing plaid shirts are in patterns that light-washed jeans is the making a comeback. In a difare not so much most common ensemble ferent perspective on female bold as they are that we tend to see in womsummer fashions, there will be dramatic and Retro Chic: Junior Kelly Sokolowski en’s fashion. The carelessa large upflow of maxi-skirts clearly interestsports a patterned sundress. ness factor of ripped denim and high cut crop-tops. ing. and sheer transparent fabrics It has become fashion- Ripped Denim: Junior Haley Templeton T-shirt able for men to embrace rocks denim shorts and a graphic tee. sleeves are being cuffed up are what keeps their blips on the fashion radar. Andrew Wolf/STAMPEDE
Andrew Wolf/STAMPEDE
awolf@centralstampede.com
Graduation brings changes for siblings Students explain what to expect when older siblings graduate BY LUCY FORSTER
lforster@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
Everyone knows the struggles teens face when deciding what to do after high school. Between working or going to school, there are plenty of choices, but nobody stops to think how this will affect their families, especially their younger siblings. From changes at home and school, lots of emotional and physical changes take place. Some of the physical changes include not sharing a bathroom anymore or losing your ride to school. This will be very apparent for freshman Cianna Janicke when her brother, senior Joe Janicke, moves out in the fall. “I will miss my brother, but I will miss him buying me food and being my chauffeur more,” Cianna said. Maybe some people are indifferent to the subject, but according to senior Lukas Creed there were definitely changes around the house when his sister Elayna moved out. “She didn’t come home as much as I thought she would,” Lukas said. For freshman Maddie Bell, her situation was slightly different. When Maddie’s sister Alyssa graduated, she decided not to move out right away. Even though Maddie is really close with her sister, she still looks forward to the day she moves out. “It’s nice having her home,” Maddie said. “But I wish she would move out at some point.”
Expectations for what would happen are different for everyone, but Lukas thought it would give him the opportunity to become closer with the rest of his family. “I thought I would become closer with my younger sister,” Lukas said. “I actually ended up getting closer with my older sister because we enjoyed our limited time together more.” Both Maddie and Lukas agree that they enjoy spending time with their siblings more now because they have either left home or their time at home is fleeting. According to Cianna, she feels that not much will change, but she hopes to stay close with her brother when he leaves for Grand Valley State University in the fall. Yet staying close has nothing to do with the excitement of him moving out. “I’m excited to get his room,” Cianna said. “It’s a lot bigger than my room right now.” Even though Cianna is excited about the changes that will occur, she claims she will miss her brother, and she hopes to stay close with him. Even though it can be fun to have a change at home, there will always be love for your older siblings. “I missed my sister when she moved away,” Lukas said. “It was definitely a change for me.” To make the transition easier, Maddie advises two simple things: “Enjoy the time you have together now,” Maddie said. “Always stay close so your relationship is never awkward.” So make sure to always cherish the relation-
ship you have with your siblings, because one day they will be moving out, and you never want to lose your siblings.
perfection
PC junior receives a 36 on the ACT exam BY AUSTIN WOLF
awolf@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
The magic number is 36. All high schoolers aspire to achieve this perfect score on the ACT, the score that could help any student get into his or her dream college. This prestigious score takes timeless effort and hard work. To get a 36 on the ACT, you have to get a minimum of two 35s and two 36s in each of the sections. The sections of the test include English, math, reading, science and the option of writing. Michigan’s average on the ACT is 19.9, while the national average is 20.9. There is no limit on how many times a person can take the test, but experts recommend that a student takes the ACT two to three times.
Michigan average ACT score
19.9
Source: ACT.org Counselor Carla Kelly is involved with managing the ACT here, and she knows the rarity of getting a 36. “[Getting a 36] doesn’t happen very often, maybe a couple of times in the last four years,” said Kelly, regarding the ACT scores. In the state of Michigan, there was only one perfect score out of 1,563 students who took the test. Only 0.06458 percent of the test takers got a 36 in 2013. This year, junior Subhodh Kotekal was one of the few to earn a perfect score of 36. This was Kotekal’s first attempt at the ACT. “A lot of people think you need to prepare for hours and hours; I don’t find that to be true. First thing I did was just do all my classes and pay attention,” Kotekal said. “By doing all of your classes, especially English and math, you just learn the basics and how to think, and then when it gets close to test day you take one or two practice quizzes to get a feel of what the questions are like.”
National average ACT score
20.9
Source: ACT.org
Lucy Forster/STAMPEDE
Sibling Love: Freshman Cianna Janicke poses with her brother, senior Joe Janicke.
Kotekal thought that the English section was the most difficult part of the test because of the grammar. The average English score for the ACT in Michigan is a 19.1. Kotekal earned a 35 on this section. In Michigan, the average math score is 19.9, the average science score is 20.2 and the average reading score is 20. So, how do you get a perfect score of 36? Kotekal shared some tips for taking the ACT. First, every test taker should know his or her math. This is imperative because the test does not allow enough time to check your work. It is also important to know your grammar. Kotekal said that he had not studied some of the grammar since his freshman year. Perfect ACT scores have risen up to 82 percent in the last five years. This is due to the fact that more students are practicing for the ACT exam.
J si e s M ca A eli A l N bu ssa br a R ath rtu Ag ha B ach an s em m B rid el B Ja a c r R N au get Be ake ob a A ml B ck r A abe n o A l a A ng el An rr An ll la A e C nd l C Bu ni e P dr iso n J hm o A ll rew ar kh ka en ew n B os ed b h Lo ig Er C an ari Br ny Be art A B ch ga ayl in he na Sa ink Bo ckm z lv en D ne n C C Co n P Co ra m ws an Br are ett z r or ll Sk iaz r a r h ei er C oo nu in ig y C Ca er T De B La s ert yl k h e a v b C E a e y ar a ri s i a u Fl A Sh Ga Ch rr ala liz lo n sh re s s A a G ow n Do nd tia lex an bri est Sa Je ab r B Bil aw n d e K agn ers re xey ra n an n el er rah sse th oy ek R Am D d on C B er Jo ac m A W ass on L w C D a K C r o e E a ig vi a C n ly as ad ros Ky hn he ar H agn idy M a li ti b s s n ot C l a s n we ofs ra B B C agg er G ad Foe e M e D y- Je ro te ell a to ll k la at r w ar a C B e J r r r e K H l r Fo om li st ic re u ro el C a is M R M ra n es Ja ave y H d J re a ne er ha ws ng d l R ou ti ne att ac e as ch e li c a Fi e s r rt s h e W G D r N t a r o c h a o co k d e al a l E a co C ki av ch ne Co s ew el na h E rd on ft J i s l g t J B a on n C b on M er n n a os i K e k A l s el y C ok os C al Br ric re B K aya Hu C J n Ha no att Em er glm ie ie Je Cu r K h ha la ow B tt ea a d a o u e a F D r D e n r w r B G i ch te y n ry co re in l o ai u o e bb ft nd a mp a n ran lo ton ag L g Ga yga y G res er nc dd ll K of lin M g E J b H w ra Cl io y M Re c om u an t ie f b D H h v x S a e s i a S a n k m e ri H n N Jo ch a n k m u a T rb Mo tep n A Dr av Dy as Co ass T att e Ca be ab er r C un na oah hn ae I ow in bb rah el ar m rg lo C ok en yl ew is h u n a art te C g E l i B C n re r Ke Kof son K gb iak gw rd Ha m i H Tr an an sti M s S er ap s B ero Ca e r n e D D ay A s il a eg F ie n le C el er m a d so itt y La lle f a i o T A ar L ll e h ss ro n B e K m D ll sa y n g re r E D lb st a w M n an N ss r T en yr ly M y a itt a d o L ay b ev y H ni Ga ey Ga eb sp ur y e D ro og ory ra se o C n ra ron a M rs a L ssm er n K ne in la er in u B rb Tr rn y I os ha M e w an C C A la Se nd B B a l i m ill ha zer ea a G ner tu Jo dsa Ja Ha H gh eth er evo er sab ito m di y ra Cr oo law nsh ud an t P oot c e l a i h y M h M ab M n r l si rv ett es an S r K el C N so Lo d es k s B a K K n M C a A ott th Hu a ea Sky an rie ie om so Ki ns ey in Bi y ara Ec ari la hr at n ve on po Ro on h Ca ro ige ga a h a m p b i k ss d c l r n D k m g h F l D N e A u ra w K a He r a e G r s M be Eli Ne z ke n Le we le el ya B by i L ai er l lm Go rt luy ys Fa n orm eet ars ata rt lex dh nc n a nz M st e L I r i u r V C s W t w t K a e A D i e a a l o e i l C n n M a a i so M M be Mi ie cC r M La ur ill cto tt K ari nn in ody ni ut se ic s S k C th zw an Dh w ie or nd ry ar o L h yl ia ia r r E C co e n cN u rr rz M or ss e H h J a o a J H o i i r n r a at m ck a Ja ee s y n m a u a J ee i oe Jo Al ae ah nn ga nk ess no ic is ra r e l co s on Ma M z ick ey Ma Vi K Kr fm Kn en rin te J s G o n as ic a k w n so e a T an h H xa En on r l c b Za C q an Ta a a r g o n L r t H G Fi T a K D ll n n v u a p s o N o i e c ai o d te e os i d gl se a sh re D ri as p r s v c e T I il ara h M tli ia eep M len ey n P L ter ay sab G Ty Sar or ke rna ra m r T br er vo or ste a e r i n n l M njo en n M Mc M aze a L Co ar db ma lor ell rif ee ah Hof Ch nd Gr ie rev el Br r E of r fi e u n f k n e C at L d e J r c l H o e i o a f eo in h ur ean lta Ky tsc no er tte E Joh Ke n K oh en m lse z ssk Lo r G am tta kP ds am aok T ni le h r L M r A mi n lem ol nso sle an a H Ch urt gan re er ny av a so e e e o B n M y a l l n y M ar ey h F n n a y N An a J ssa ri e M ar nc xw ex y K n en nk A a e G K H o An di tt ris nn An ish lee er M tta c sh h el o L e d ia ls r e u M n n H on e l n a C S l d er vo on ew m cQ ny re all he Ka oy ke yle m ol a r e ub i d l C H e u N nn B M ah a Mu ary Le lby tie M K e J za ly Ju Ho ert he ick w t l w r ik i en i K a K ll Na K ra Ta is M M eli tr on h oo sin mv y N lse s ki P a ed No er kk asi ok yl Ti an cG ssa in es an i C ic ik ic a g P ro g P en a a or m ne ru L a Hu H a J N k om li le a M K d u Ko m ai le am iy a M L s J n P i Sk ton en iet te cN ot Ka er nd re za ley b K e l s z ey Ja yl y u n l D in G s y ei K K o E co er Mi ife iew n M l R Sa eig om A age ay ir ss r ri b O r in le i y y ah h L an k P a ll P a et kle s M Ne cz ers an M Ma ic x M am i ls al P er y t m u so A ich on S te An Me ac er La ac p r k er eb n le a M rli na ge B Ma tor l n n r M o Jo c P el a i an M ri a M tch g M Ne er itta dian ich Ph di ul ell il lso Ch ny l h ri o N le n P ael ill la at O ip A lla ew r K Sa s el ’S s lic n h el o ly A M tr Je ia d l l a an nn P T us e y y d a ar le te er Pi kh r o Ju pe s R P ei P tin rc av e a
central stampede • senior issue • may 21, 2014
Class of 2014
Shan a Pflibsen Harrison Pluta Kelsey Praeger Mandy Quinones Derrick Oulai Tori Parish-Cushman Shivam Patel Carolyn Pavlovic Isabella Pelonzi Ashley Phelps Jennifer Pifer Rachel Polus Jacob Premer Marissa Quivey Alec Raifsnider Zach Raifsnider Talis Rehse Will Riley Hanna Rumora Maxwell Ryan Caroline Sampson Haley Schafer Brooke Scholten Lauren Seufert Stephanie Raifsnider Julia Rauch Brian Riffle Kayleigh Rogers Alex Rupert Yasmeen Saad Jordan Santek Emma Schau Hannah Schuring Douglas Shafer Jimmy Reder Brian Riffle Ashley Ross Mary Russell Caitlin Sackett Kewaun Santman Ryan Schiller Genevieve Sertic Zachary Shearer Casey Shinabarger Sam Sims Jacob Sloniker Zander Sorenson Shelby Spoelstra Shelby Stewart Tayelor Stuut Jill Syrotchen Brett Taylor Kevin Shen Molly Siko Manbir Singh Griffin Snow Zack Spangler Nate Stevens Zachary Stoyanoff Pranit Sunkara Austin Taber Caleb Teerman Cody Shimel Gabe Simmering Navjot Singh Taylor Snyder Noah Spears Kristin Sturdy Emily Sweet Vevake Tandon Hannah Thomas Sara Torres Nathan Tsui Rodney Turner Nick Vandewalker Gabby Vick Nicole Waldvogel Corlyn Weese Ryan Wheeler Anthony Williams Naveena Thota Rob Tovar Fermin Rachael Tucker Melanie Ulsh Gina Verduzco Alexis Vladic Alexis Walters Spencer Westley Brayden Wietfeldt Emmanuel Williams Alayna Tomlinson Brock Towers Caroline Turek-Hruska Jenna Van Zoeren Mia Waite Rachel Weber Mac Westra Shelby Wilks Kiersten Williams Dorman Wilson Aaron Wooden Jacob Yonke Drew Ziegler Jessica Wolverton Bradley Worthington Rebecca Youngren Zoe Zlomek Katherine Wu Chandler Beach Talha Zafar
We made it!
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seniors
the class f 2014
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Food to Dorm room shopping made easy The summer before graduated high school students start college is supposed to be “epic,” and help avoid most students would rather not worry about college just yet. Portage is home to some stores that can make you dorm-room-ready while getting more bang for your buck. This is college freshman 15 shopping made easy:
JCPenney has an array of things college students could buy to ready themselves for the years of school ahead. Living on campus away from your parents can be refreshing, yet a little intimidating. JCPenney has towels, furniture, kitchen accessories and much more that can make your college experience simpler. On top of all that, college students need to look stylish and fashionable their freshman year, and with the great selection of clothes, shoes and accessories, students can find everything they need here.
Target has a wide variety of college “Dorm Room Essentials” for high school graduates. This includes everything from mini refrigerators to futons to bedding. If you’re looking for a place to purchase electronics, Target carries an assortment. Whether you are looking for a flat screen or a laptop, they have everything you need. Target is known for their lower prices and the college section in the store makes everything you’re looking for easy to find.
Walmart is the kind of store that can cater to a majority of the items on your dorm room shopping list. They have a large range of items for college students. Plus, at Walmart, you can buy more, for less. You can buy your personal care items, furniture, electronics and so much more. Walmart will make your living space comfortable and affordable for college. Whether you’re planning on living in a dorm or renting an apartment, Walmart has everything your new living space will need.
By Rachel Bates
The highs and lows from ‘95 to ‘14 Major events during the lifetime of this year’s seniors BY CAITLIN MATTHEWS
cmatthews@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
“It was one heck of a ride,” said senior Alicia Parkhill as she reflects over her years at Portage Central High School. For four years Parkhill has overcome the countless projects and essays assigned by teachers at our beloved school, and has prepared herself for the moment when she and her fellow classmates will walk across the stage to receive the key to their future: their high school diploma. Her fondest memory was hoisting the state runner-up banner for swimming and diving this year. “Being a part of a team is the biggest thing I will think about,” Parkhill said. “And just being together with girls that I like and some of my best friends.” Events like this will always be remembered by Parkhill, but other much larger events will be remembered by the class of 2014. Along their 18 year journey, a variety of historical events have affected their lives and the whole world. Since the seniors were born, their world has undergone a mul-
titude of changes. Some are drastic and heartbreaking, while others are incredible and inspiring. On Sept. 11th, 2001, the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed. In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped apart seven southern states which, according to hurricanekatrinarelief.com, are still healing from the violent storm. Schools such as Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech and Columbine will always be remembered for the horrific events that took place there. Runners from all over the country joined together after the attacks at the Boston Marathon. Despite these dark and horrible events, a larger number of exceptional events have taken place in the average senior’s lifetime. The United States had their first African American president. Facebook and Twitter invaded the youths’ lifestyles, allowing millions to connect and gossip from places all over the world. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone was first released in 1997, starting 15 years
of fake wand twirling and die hard ‘potterhead’ fans. Now almost everyone in the world knows the name of the infamous boy-who-lived. Medicine advanced dramatically. Scientists have mapped the entire human genome, used stem cells to repair human tissue and used them to make brains, created the HPV vaccine and improved bionic limbs for patients. Technologically, humans have skyrocketed. Google, a high school student’s best friend, was created in 1998 and has saved our skins for over a decade. Steve Jobs helped create 4 iPhones, and smart phones have dominated our attention. Hybrid cars grew in popularity and promoted an era of eco-friendly cars. The class of 2014 has witnessed the actions and lives of some incredible people. One example is Felix Baumgartner, who jumped 127,000 feet from our atmosphere and broke the speed of sound with a little help from gravity. Seniors, you have your whole lives ahead of you. As chilling as it sounds, you will survive. If you can survive the end of the world, you can survive that extra hour in college, at work, or paying your mortgage. Good luck and have fun.
future laker
K at i e D r e w s
kdrews@centralstampede.com When you think ‘college food,’ you generally think of food like Ramen noodles, microwaveable pizzas, Hot Pockets and Easy Mac; these may sound like cheap and easy meal choices, but there are better and more appetizing alternatives. For the first couple years of college, you may be confined to a dorm with no kitchen, but that doesn’t mean that a kitchen is not accessible to you. Most residence halls have at least a microwave, if not a community kitchen with a stove, sink, oven, etc. If all you have is a microwave and a pan, don’t stress - there’s plenty of tasty meals you can prepare. For example, plain Ramen can be kind of boring, but when you mix it with other ingredients, it could become your go-to dorm food. There are hundreds of “fancy Ramen” recipes that you can find on the Internet; I would suggest looking on Pinterest. Another typical meal for college kids includes cheap microwaveable pizza or Little Caesar’s $5 pizzas. If you’re one of those people who can eat anything and everything and still not get fat, good for you. Go right ahead and eat all the $5 pizzas you desire. However, if you are normal, you have to at least eat somewhat healthy in order to avoid the notorious “freshman 15”. So, if you’re a pizza lover and need to watch your weight, try your hand at making pita pizza. It has all the great taste of Little Caesar’s, minus the unhealthy grease. Plus, it only requires four ingredients: pita bread, marinara sauce, cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Simply stick it in the oven for a few minutes and you’ll be good to go. One of the easiest meals to make with a small community or dorm room kitchen is spaghetti, or any kind of pasta really. All it takes is a pot, water, a stove and whichever sauce you’d like to put on your pasta. When you get to college, you will most likely have a food plan, which usually is good for one meal a day or several meals per week. If you ever get sick of having the same, old mess hall meals each day or even want to eat healthier, it’s easy to make these simple dishes, among others. I can assure you, even if you can’t cook, that you can boil water and place noodles in it. If all else fails, invest in a Crock-Pot; it’s the easiest way to make delicious food. You just stick the ingredients in the Crock-Pot and leave it to sit for as long as the recipe calls for. When you become a poor and starving college student, head out to the nearest Meijer and buy some of these cheap ingredients. You could make some of the tastiest food you’ll have during your college career, and spend less than $10.
page three
the class f 2014
seniors
3
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Mustang athletes continue careers The Class of 2014 will largely be remembered for their success in athletics. A total of 14 student-athletes will play for various colleges nationwide, ranging from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division III.
Dominic Latora Lindsey Wilson College Wrestling
Tanner Kiessel Grand Valley State Softball
Mickey Losey Kalamazoo College Baseball and Football
Jerrod Davis Central Michigan Football
Justin Palmer DePauw Soccer
Matt Capasso Ferris State Football
Hunter Lassitter Ferris State Football
Gina Verduzco U of M Dearborn Softball
Lea Foerster Michigan State Softball
Josh Claassens Kalamazoo College Swimming
Rodney Turner Albion College Basketball
Derrick Oulai Albion College Football
Cory Carr Western Michigan Football
Ryan Mergener Wayne State Baseball
Jacob Allan Ferris State Football
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the class f 2014
seniors
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Our favorite trends: then vs. now
I’m sure we all remember those terribly awkward middle school years that we have oh-so-surely tried to repress from our memories. We were odd, now that we look back on it, weren’t we? Each one of us dearly hopes that we could go back to sixth or seventh or eighth grade and redo some of those embarrassing moments, where we were ever-yearning to show the world how ‘cool’ we really were. As I look back on my middle school years, I realize that some of the components that made my middle school career are too amusing to not reflect on. Some of these factors have evolved a lot since then. Now, allow me to take you back to those years that you’d rather forget than remember.
Moto rola
Pants o h c Gau
s Yoga Pant
Razr
BACK IN THE DAY
NOW
Compiled by Katie Drews Future Laker
We are the first and the last generation future bronco R a c h e l B at e s
rbates@centralstampede.com Today’s graduates are the last class to have experienced the “old PCHS” before it was demolished, the last class that had to endure the journey walking to Waylee and back. Looking back to freshman year, the memories begin to flood back. We think about the familiar hallways and remember all the good times we had in the old Portage Central building.
Reminiscing leads to good memories about the old school The old building was so unique and although it was just a building, it was home to every student that spent their multiple years of high school there. The school felt lived-in, welcoming and like the high school I had hoped and dreamed for my freshman year. Many features made it stand out from every other high school. The handprint wall was iconic. Every new freshman class would make its mark in the school on that wall. That particular hallway was so colorful with the many handprints of students that had come and gone. On the first day of freshman year, I scanned the wall for my older sister’s handprint, and every day from then on, I could find that specific print instantly. Whether it was seen as a waste of paint or a waste of time, our freshman class was unfortunately unable to put our handprints up. The wall wouldn’t exist just a few short months later. The school had splashes of color here and there. Painted ceiling tiles loomed overhead, and the familiar Mustang logo adorned the wall in the gym. Classroom doors were painted according to the personality or subject taught by that teacher. Flyers and papers lined the walls, especially during Homecoming weeks and Student Council elections. This all may have seemed cluttered,
maybe even chaotic to some, but it gave the school character. The gymnasium was a place that not only the athletes will remember, but all students as well. It was in the center of the building, making it the heart of the school. Pep rallies in the gym pumped us up for the big games in the gym. It was also home to many other kinds of sporting events. Hundreds of students would gather to watch basketball, volleyball and more. Students in gym classes will never forget running laps on the balcony and stairs with Mr. Foerster’s booming voice in the background. We had to share lockers at the old school, which wasn’t ideal, but it was my first and last year where using a backpack or purse during the school day was permitted. It probably wasn’t the best thing for our spines or shoulders, but it helped with the time it took to get from class to class. It came as a surprise sophomore year when they were banned from classrooms altogether. The “old PCHS” was where I took my first exams, I went to my first high school dance, I wrote my first Stampede article; it was my first high school. Our graduating class will always remember our time and experiences at the old school, but from next year on, the old school will be just a place of the past.
page five
the class f 2014
seniors
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senior issue • may 21, 2014
Things to be thankful for at PC future buffalo
Lauren Ammar
lammar@centralstampede.com
1.
Mr. Alburtus’ smiling face, incredibly kind demeanor, and uncanny ability to remember everyone’s names. 2. The sense of community within the school whether it is a tragedy or an accomplishment, students and staff alike come together to share the experience and be there for one another. 3. The sheer amount of class opportunities - from IB to AP classes, EFE or EFA, online classes, or unique classes such as Interior Design, Dance Fitness and Michigan Geology, there are classes for all types of interests. The programs and classes offered here are top-notch and offer us an advantage when it comes to colleges, internships or jobs. 4. The electronic device policy - while it is true
Ever since I started high school, it seemed that as the years increased, so did the complaints of my fellow students. Throughout my years at this school, I have come to realize how fortunate we really are to attend PC. I may be halfway across the country next year, but I won’t soon forget my time at this exceptional school. So next time you think about complaining about no backpacks, realize how blessed we are and keep in mind these things to be thankful for, things unique to our school that are worth appreciating. that teachers would prefer that we didn’t use our phones (or iPods, or iPads) while in school, the relaxed policy makes it so that we have more freedom to do so. 5. Speaking of teachers, the fact that we have so many caring, passionate and helpful teachers at this school. Our teachers are always willing to help us out and help us succeed. 6. The vast amount of clubs - from Gardening Club and Gamers’ Club to Animal Welfare Club and Knitting Club, there are so many unique and interesting clubs here to connect students. Take advantage of the various clubs offered at our school (there will surely be at least one that interests you). 7. Vinnie’s Café - there is a café in our library. An actual café that offers delicious drinks and snacks and supports a good cause (the art program at our school). How many other high schools have cafés in their libraries? Don’t take Vinnie’s for granted. 8. The muffin cart and Popcorn Wednesdays these are unique to our school; if you’re in need of a snack, there are many options available, made with love by your fellow students and staff.
9. Off-campus lunch - it’s nice to get away for
12. An award-winning newspaper, tailored
specifically for people in this school, that comes out every month. In fact, you’re reading it right now. Believe me when I say it is really way more work than you will ever know to produce this publication. Please take even just a moment to appreciate the effort, creativity and amount of work that your fellow students do. 13. Speaking of students who work hard, we have top-notch, high quality musicals and plays at this school. People from all throughout the community come to see the remarkable talent and impressive productions of our theatre. 14. Let’s also appreciate the amazing, first-rate athletics at our school - our athletes are always excelling, and the games and meets are enjoyable to both watch and play. 15. And let’s not forget the fact that we have a brand-new, state-of-the-art Artwork by Anna Jursinic building. No more disease-causing mold, filth, decay or cramped space. We have a 10. Freedom to express clothing style - for the beautiful building with new walls and desks, big windows, new technology, spacious lockers and most part, we can wear whatever we wish, and carpeted hallways. freely express our personal style. We are often quick to complain, slow to show 11. The parks, trails and businesses right by gratitude. Quick to judge, slow to understand. our school - for example, Bicentennial Trail is Quick to speak, slow to listen. Appreciate the right across the street, and it’s perfect for biking little things, and you will find your life becoming or running. much richer and yourself much happier. a while, and whether you go to a local business or home for lunch, it’s always refreshing to leave the building for some time.
Surviving the college acceptance process future laker
K at i e D r e w s
kdrews@centralstampede.com This goes out to anyone who will eventually be a senior in high school - so, in other words, every single one of you. The college acceptance and decision-making process is lengthy and nearly unbearable. From the initial decisions of picking colleges you would consider attending to the unending weeks of waiting to hear the final decision, the process typically lasts anywhere from one month to four months. For me, it lasted a little over six months. In mid-September, I began filling out college applications for Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and Michigan
State University. On Sept. 30, I completed those applications and submitted them to each university. Then, the waiting period started for me. I heard back from WMU within a couple weeks and from GVSU after about a month and a half, thinking that MSU would be right behind them. Wrong. Now, this is not to bash MSU, because I still love the school and that was initially my first choice for a university. However, I didn’t hear back from MSU until late December. They notified me that they wanted to see my final semester grades, so when I finished the first semester in January, I sent them my final transcript. I was already a little irritated, as you can imagine, because I just wanted to know if I’d been accepted so I could have my game plan for college. After I sent in the information, they told me it should be about two more weeks until I’d
hear back from them. Later, I checked my MSU student account and the time slot had been increased to four to six weeks until I’d hear back from them now. At this point, I became extremely annoyed because the majority of other seniors had been committed to a college for well over a month. Well, I didn’t receive word of acceptance from MSU until the last week of March, which in my book, was far too late to just be getting accepted to a college. And it’s not just MSU that does this sort of thing. I’ve heard of plenty of other kids having to wait forever to hear back from their “dream colleges.” In my opinion, this is rude of the schools. By the time I was accepted, who knew if any housing would have still been available? Once students are accepted, they generally apply for housing as soon as they can after that in order to save their spot in a residence hall. Yes, I know
that they must go through every single student application, but making you wait six months for your acceptance letter is a bit ridiculous. With that being said, I recommend that the underclassmen and future seniors have a backup plan. For example, while I was waiting and waiting and waiting on MSU I reserved a spot and a dorm at GVSU in February, just in case I kdrews@centralstampede. wasn’t accepted to MSU. This was a good idea,com not to mention GVSU has really nice dorms, but because they also allowed me to back out if I did decide to attend MSU. In the end, I chose GVSU instead because I felt they were the school who truly pursued me and wanted me as a student, in comparison with MSU who made me wait for months. So, let me break it down for you guys: 1. Begin applying for colleges in August or September of your senior year. 2. Apply to more than one college. 3. Make sure you’d be okay with attending the colleges to which you’ve applied. 4. Wait every waking moment for your acceptance letter to arrive. 5. Stand with both feet firmly planted on the ground while opening the envelope. 6. Don’t cry. And that, my friends, is how you survive the college acceptance process.
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the class f 2014
seniors
senior issue • may 21, 2014
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?
GUESS WHO
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1. Michael Englmaier 2.Victoria Cushman 3. Jessica Abraham 4. Austin Durham 5. Chris Faith 6. Kaitlin Heeringa 7. Lauren Ammar 8. Matt Huberty 9. Cory Jankowiak 10. Logan Crooks 11. Isabelle Kelemen 12. Molly Kooi 13. Shelby Mannes 14. Brittany Flowers 15. Logan Crespo 16. Brittany Leach 17. Rachel Bates 18. Marshall Lewis 19. Andrew Beckman 20. Dominic Latora 21. Emily Garber 22. Tim Lotz 23. Mitch Newhouse 24. Sierra Clawson 25. Ben Noggle 26. Cory Carr 27. Cheyenne Hicks 28. Humza Kayani 29. Jacob Haring 30. Michael O’Strander 31. Alicia Parkhill 32. Alexander Coll 33. Justin Palmer 34. Marissa Quivey 35. Mary Russell 36. Mandy Quinones 37. Kassidy Gromaski 38. Penny Bowser 39. Erika Pueblo 40. Sarah Casanto 41. Kelsey Praeger 42. Trevor Hoffman 43. Zander Sorenson 44. Molly Siko 45. Gabe Simmering 46. Angel Caranna 47. Manbir Singh 48. Jacob Premer 49. Lindsay Kirby 50. Zachary Stoya noff 51. Shelby Stewart 52. Ali Crowell 53. Samantha Sims 54. Remearis Brown 55. Vevake Tandon 56. Pranit Sunkara 57. Andrew Hubbard 58. Noah Spears 59. Paige Brosofske 60. Talha Zafar 61. Ryan Wheeler 62. Mac Westra 63. Corlyn Weese 64. Melissa Lundin 65. Jacob Yonke 66. Sarah Cabala 67. Talis Rehse 68. Alex MacCartny 69. Alec Padilla 70. Gabe Connell 71. Brad Worthington 72. Rachel Cubbage 73. Michael Kelly 74. Sean Brown 75. Jimmy Reder 76. Ashley Ross 77. Fiona Beaton 78. Lindsay Nelson 79. Derrick Oulai 80. Nassma Mandwee 81. Jacob Allan 82. Nikki Hueng 83. Zach Mendham 84. Devin Bilek 85. Courtney Craft 86. Maquoia McLean 87. Sterling Miller 88. Kelly Mott 89. Jennifer Nelson 90. Andrew Chen 91. Taylor McNeil 92. Kasia Mietusiewicz 93. Emily Konkel 94. Anna Nelson 95. Ashley Phelps 96. Christian Davis 97. Rachel Callaway 98. Ally Peirce 99. Harrison Pluta 100. Cameron Boot 101. Taylor Boyer 102. Kayleigh Mater 103. Abby Cornue 104. Carolyn Pavlovic 105. Lea Foerster 106. Katelyn Myers 107. Jacob Peterson 108. Katie Drews 109. Wagner Forest 110. Manan Patel 111. Brittany Marshall 112. Caroline Sampson 113. Brandon Darsow 114. Kewaun Santman 115. Chelsea Haverdink 116. Hannah Schuring 117. Ryan Schiller 118. Jenna Piper 119. Nikkia Pompey 120. Madii Dorman 121. Rachel Beck 122. Brooke Scholten 123. Hailey Kirchhoff 124. Lauren Seufert 125. Genevieve Sertic 126. Jessica Dornoff 127. Alexis Walters 128. Bridget Borre 129. Nick Vandewalker 130. Amber Harvey 131. Mia Waite 132. Alayna Tomlinson 133. Gina Verduzco 134. Melanie Ulsh 135. Jenna VanZoeren 136. Rachael Tucker 137.Hannah Thomas 138. Tyler Chase 139. Cameron Gagnon 140. Sara Torres 141. Brett Taylor 142. Eric Branch 143. Casey Shinabarger 144. Claudia Caranci 145. Tessa McQuat 146. Payton Mills 147. Josh Alvarez 148. Karissa Knapp 149. Ally Hughes 150. Joe Janicke 151. Natalie Criswell 152. Maddie Galer
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the class f 2014
seniors
senior issue • may 21, 2014
six
Nikki Hueng
six
on
Spencer Westley
Tabi Haney
John Blanchard
Madison Mazer
Gabe Connell
1. What was your most embarrassing moment in high school? My stomach whale mating call during fourth hour tests. Every. Single. Year.
I wore sweatpants one day. That was embarrassing.
I’m pretty sure I dressed up for Homecoming on the wrong day... and I always go all out.
Having the same Pandora alarm go off every day at 9:16 for a week straight.
Freshman year, I had a horridlooking soccer tan where my shins were basically snow white, and to fix that I used an at home spray tan, and, well, my legs looked like carrots after I used it.
Confessing my love for Taylor Boyer.
2. Which teacher will you miss most? Jill! She’s a great mentor and I’m going to miss her fabulous cat screensavers.
Ms. Peak! Who else am I going to swap health smoothie recipes with?
Mrs. Eichstaedt for obvious reasons, and Mrs. Moss.
Asking for the teacher I will miss most is like asking for my favorite parent. Sure some are fun, but someone has to teach you.
Probably Schira. Because every day we would either talk about Hemingway’s six-toed cats, Fox News or the Colbert Report and after I leave, he’ll have no one else to talk to about those topics, trust me. Sorry for your loss Schira, I’m one in a million.
Lancaster. He’s the only one who doesn’t mind my truancy.
3. What trend did you hate most? (i.e. #YOLO, but don’t use #YOLO for your answer). Twerking, because I can’t twerk.
MIPs... too soon?
OMG... obvi all this stuff about “bae” and “ratchets.” And “salty”... I’m grumpy, not a pretzel.
Do you wanna take a selfie?
Okay, if you have to give an example for a trend most hated and then you’re not going to let me use it, it’s going to be that trend.
All of them.
4. What is one thing you wish you would’ve done, but never did? Be a leader in an extracurricular activity. Oh wait...
I’ve always wanted to play “Partition” by Beyonce and strut around the halls on music Fridays.
I’ve never had a muffin from the muffin cart... those look good.
Participate in ski team.
Hire my barista to come to every class so I could have Starbucks 24/7.
Started a hacky-sack club.
I’m not sad I’m leaving.
I’ve always been in love with Taylor Boyer.
5. What is your senior confession? I may or may have not snuck out to lunch freshman year and may or may have not gotten out of a detention.
I made a YouTube channel this year. LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE, H8RS. YouTube.com/SpencerWestley
Whenever I would skip, I would ask my mom first.
I stick blue stickers from desks on people. Daily.
6. What is some advice you can offer to the underclassmen and next year’s seniors? High school sucks. Make it not suck. That’s what makes high school tolerable.
Don’t care what people think of you, because in the end, no one gives a frik-frak-pattywack.
Ask your mom first, then you don’t get in trouble.
Energy drink a day keeps the tiredness at bay.
Use your vacation days wisely, doctor notes are your best friends, and Alburtus knows everything and anything. So don’t try anything tricky.
Be legen - wait for it - dary.
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the class f 2014
seniors
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senior issue • may 21, 2014
Class of 2014: biggest transformations
“
”
“
“
I wish I would have known that the Justin Bieber flow was not, and never will be, okay. It was a phase and I thank God every day I changed for the better.
Compiled by Shelby Mannes • Future Cougar
Marissa Quivey
Jimmy Reder
“
Celeste Dely Working with people who are completely different [has changed me the most].
”
Marshall Lewis
Certain friend groups really changed my high school experience for the better. Shoutout to the squad.
Rideout Awards Art Business FACS English Math
Scott Solomon /STAMPEDE
”
Don’t be afraid to be yourself.
Band Choir Orchestra Phys. Ed. Science
LiAnne Jenson Payton Mills Mia Waite Allison Bartz Emily Konkel Morgan Freeby Zoe Zlomek Austin Durham Kiersten Williams Hanna Rumora Marshall Lewis Carolyn Pavlovic Pranit Sunkara
”
Josie Dodds Genevieve Sertic Sp. Education Brad Worthington Ryan Wheeler Tech/Applied Sci. Zach Stoyanoff Genevieve Sertic French LiAnne Jenson Latin Karissa Knapp Spanish Lea Foerster Scholar Athletes Mickey Losey Zoe Zlomek Student Activities Cameron Gagnon Social Studies
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the class f 2014
seniors
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Rachel...
“If you fuel your journey on the opinions of others, you are going to run out of gas.” --Steve Maraboli
Thank you for being resilient and your own individual person. We are proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, Alexis, Collin, Carter, and Hannah
Tori,
We are so proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, Kelsey, and Jon
We love you and are very proud of you! Love, Mom, Dad, and Stephen
Love, Mom & Randall
Chris...
Shelby
Katie
We hope the end of PCHS is the beginning of a future filled with laughter, love, and accomplished goals.
Bob... Congratulations!
We are so proud of you! Go Cats!
Stampede e n i o r s
Rachel
Lauren Rachel
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us?
First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.” -Ray Bradbury
We are so proud of you and know that you will do amazing things! Love, Mom, Justin, Corey, Alyssa, Alexis, and Brayden
page eleven
the class f 2014
seniors Congratulations Cory! We’re proud of the young man you’ve become. The world awaits you! Our love and support will always be with you. Love, Mom, Dad, & Ryan
This is just the beginning... you’re a star in the making...
Shine on!
11
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Rachel... We are so proud of you! God has a wonderful plan for your life!
GO BRONCOS! Love, Dad, Mom, Katie, and Marlana
Love, Mom, Alan, Zach, and Molly
Gina-
Stephanie Esposito
I can’t put into words how much I’ll miss you. , Kim
Congratulations! We are so proud of you! Go Blue!
Love, Mom, Dad, Samantha, David, and Jonathan
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page twelve
the class f 2014
seniors
senior issue • may 21, 2014
Where we’re going... KVCC Melissa Agema Joshua Alvarez Brett Bashaw Rachel Callaway Sarah Casanto Paige Chester Kendra Cook Mallory Cook Robert Corcoran Courtney Craft Logan Crespo Andrew Elie Logan Fisher Trevor Greenlee Alexandra Grosskurth Chelsea Harrison Chelsea Haverdink Kaitlin Heeringa Bethany Helmuth Joshua Hernandez Cody Hite Carly Hoeft Allyson Hughes Katelin Johnson Kienna Keller Lindsay Kirby Noah Koffend Gabrielle Laurian Alexander Lloyd Alexander MacCartny Shelby Mannes Kayleigh Mater Maquoia McLean Tessa McQuat Zachary Mendham Andrew Miller Sterling Miller Kelly Mott Elise Munson Brittany Muraoka Mitchell Newhouse Benjamin Noggle Skyler Oakley Alicia Parkhill Jori Phillips Harrison Pluta Nikkia Pompey Erika Pueblo William Riley Kayleigh Rogers Zachary Shearer Navjot Singh Melanie Ulsh Alexis Walters Shelby Wilks Jessica Wolverton Aaron Wooden Rebecca Youngren Shelby Mannes Jessica Abraham Josh Alvarez
Tyler Chase Katie Cook Carly Hoeft Isabelle Kelemen Brittany Marshall Mackenzie Matz Kylene McCreary Michael Mulholland Michael O’Strander Shana Pflibsen Jacob Premer Brian Riffle Alex Rupert Kewaun Santman Zachary Spangler Emily Sweet Victoria Ownpey Alexis Vladic
WMU Rachel Bates Chandler Beach Fiona Beaton Taylor Boyer Elizabeth Brosofske Cory Carr Rachel Cubbage Cassie Digby-Junger Madison Dorman Michael Englmaier Logan Fisher Connor Gabriel Madeline Galer Karina Gluys Kassidy Gromaski Jennifer Hamilton Amber Harvey Sarah Hassani Humza Kayani James Kayany Gage Lamp Brittany Leach Marshall Lewis Timothy Lotz Nassma Mandwee Katherine McGruder Meagan McCormick Tessa McQuat Kasia Mietusiewicz Sterling Miller Manan Patel Jacob Peterson Ashley Phelps Marissa Quivey Brooke Scholten Lauren Seufert Kevin Shen Jacob Sloniker Taylor Snyder Jill Syrotchen Brett Taylor Nathan Tsui
Mia Waite Bradley Worthington Eric Branch Andrew Chen Lovepreet Dhanoa Andrew Haggard Victor Ledbetter Jordan Santek
GVSU Melina Brown Claudia Caranci Alexandra Crowell Katherine Drews Tabitha Haney Jacob Hemingway Joe Janicke Molly Kooi Katrina Kore Madison Mazer Payton Mills Mandy Quinones Julia Rauch Molly Siko Tanner Kiessel Devin Bilek
MSU Rachel Beck Bridget Borre Sarah Cabala Erin Collins Lukas Creed Jerell Davis Skylar Doxey Lea Foerster Tregg Garner Cory Jankowiak Anna Jursinic Hailey Kirchhoff Anna Nelson Shivam Patel Jenna Piper Rachel Polus Stephanie Raifsnider James Reder Yasmeen Saad Ryan Schiller Hannah Schuring Austin Taber Max Ryan Rachel Weber
U of M Benjamin Alburtus Cameron Boot Stephanie Esposito Morgan Freeby Cameron Gagnon Trevor Hoffman Karissa Knapp Emily Konkel
Tate Mazer Carolyn Pavlovic Alexandra Peirce Talis Rehse Hanna Rumora Haley Schafer Emma Schau Samantha Sims Naveena Thota Jenna VanZoeren
CMU Shelby Spoelstra Corlyn Weese Mac Westra Jerrod Davis
K College Angel Caranna Ansh Chaudhary Joshua Claassens Mickey Losey Manbir Singh Alayna Tomlinson
Other Lauren Ammar - University of Colorado Boulder Abby Cornue - Aquinas College Rodney Turner - Adrian College Natalie Criswell - Bowling Green State University Cameron Brandt Brigham Young University of Idaho Lianne Jenson - Brigham Young University Nick Vandewalker Middle Tennessee State University Caleb Teerman - College of Creative Studies Kristen Diaz - Colombia College Chicago Sarah Gonser - Colombia College Chicago Jennifer Nelson - Albion College Remearis Brown - Compass College of Cinematic Arts Justin Palmer - Depauw University Brett Bloomberg - Eastern Florida State College Caleb Koss - Eastern Michigan University Melissa Lundin - Elmhurst College
Gabrielle Vick - Empire Beauty School Jacob Allan - Ferris State University Matt Capasso - Ferris State University Hunter Lassitter - Ferris State University Matt Huberty - Ferris State University Hannah Thomas - Ferris State University Talha Zafar - Ferris State University Ashley Ross - Florida State College at Jacksonville Matt Gygax - Florida State University Logan Crooks - Georgia Institute of Technology Katelyn Myers - Glen Oaks Community College Allison Bartz - Grinnell College Jessica Dornoff - Hope College Spencer Westley - Hope College Emily Garber - Indiana University Kelsey Praeger - Indiana University Ryan Wheeler - Indiana Wesleyan University Kristin Sturdy - Kendall College of Art and Design Mandeep Multani - Kendall College of Art and Design Tayelor Stuut - North Dakota State University Josie Dodds - Kent State University Nicole Hueng - Lake Forest College Cheyenne Hicks - Lake Superior State University Kayla Jasinski - Lansing Community College Evan Ingber - Michigan Career and Technical Institute Gabe Simmering Michigan Tech Michael Kelly - New York University Emmanuel WilliamsNorthern Michigan University Sara Torres - Northwestern University Caroline Sampson - University of Notre Dame Alexander Coll - Purdue
University Penny Bowser - Southern Illinois University Carbondale Anthony WilliamsSouthern Wesleyan University Alec Raifsnider - Southwestern Michigan College Caroline Turek-Hruska Spring Arbor University Vevake Tandon - University of Detroit Mercy Lindsay Nelson - University of Findlay Tori Parish-Cushman University of Kentucky Humza Mirza - University of Miami Dominic Latora - Lindsey Wilson College Gina Verduzco - University of Michigan - Dearborn Sean Brown - University of Northwestern Ohio Brittany Flowers - University of South Florida Rachael Tucker - University of Tennessee John Blanchard - Virginia Tech Nabeel Bukhari - Washington State University Kyra Braasch - Wayne State University Ryan Mergener - Wayne State University Pranit Sunkara - Wayne State University Kiersten Williams Wheaton College Genevieve Sertic - Yale University Christian Davis - YAP (Youth Advocate Programs) Sierra Clawson - Air Force Zachary Stoyanoff - Navy Jeremiah Nakken Marines Zachary Raifsnider Marines Drew Ziegler - Marines Jennifer Pifer - Dance/ California Isabella Frysak - Austria Isabella Pelonzi - Italy Adine Holmvik - Norway Griffin Snow - Work Alec Padilla - Work Trevor Eckert - Work Brayden Wietfeldt Undecided
Did not respond: Ramla Ahmed Andrew Beckman Eric Branch Paige Braun Nathan Baker Cameron Brandt Annika Brinkmeier Jesse Cadwell Alyssa Cisneros Gabriel Connell Matt Champion Erick Daschner Madison Dorman Skylar Doxey Dylon Darrow Drew Dolby Shannon Cotter Natalie Duncan Austin Durham Nathan Dzwonkas Joe Guerin Chris Faith Wagner Forest Jacob Haring Bilal Itali Devin Hettinger Nicolas Jackson Sarah Hensley Devin Hettinger Tyree Johnson Tyrone Johnson Brett Kaufman Humaza Khan Griffin Kolenko Kitu Komya Victora Kras Kaylee Jones William Kloosterman Layla Marvin Parker Maxwell Brittany Leach Sky Lester Sarah Mack Meaghan McCormick Taylor McNeil Katelyn Myers Samantha Newberry Caitlin Muraoka Tyler Munson Jacob Naranjo Mateo Pava Giavonni Pedrolini Derrick Oulai Douglas Shafer Stephanie Raifsnider Brian Riffle Mary Russell Caitlin Sackett Casey Shinabarger Shelby Stewart Taylor Stuut Nathan Stevens Zachary Stoyanoff Noah Spears Hannah Thomas Nicole Waldvogel Roberto Fermin Brock Towers Dorman Wilson Jacob Yonke Katherine Wu Zoe Zlomek
7
focus
May 21, 2014
Reducing your digital footprint BY DAKOTAH LILLY
dlilly@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
Six years ago, it was estimated that each American on average had a digital shadow of over 40 GB, equivalent to almost 41,000 pictures, containing all of the information you could possibly imagine, from blog posts, to credit card numbers, to medical records, and much more. That number has shot up to incredible heights, tracing much more than what was available back then. The websites you visit including what time, where you accessed it, how you accessed it, account information, chat logs, text conversations, favorite videos all of those actions go toward building a shadow that gives more information about you than you’d probably like to have public. Today, it can be presumed based on how much Internet usage has skyrocketed since then, that the amount of data on each person in the world is well over 80 GB, possibly even 100 GB. That’s more than 102,000 pictures of data. Considering how little data that low-quality photos take, and how small text files are, the amount that you could find out about a person based on 80 GB is both staggering and scary. This data can narrow down someone’s life and beliefs, exposing parts of their lives they may want to keep private, simply because privacy is nice to have. All is not lost in the world of privacy, though; you can very easily reduce your digital shadow through some very easy steps. Disabling your search history and minimizing how much personal information is on your social accounts is a very good start. However, that isn’t all you should do. Clearing your cookies on your browser or using incognito mode if you use Google Chrome will also help keep your information safe. Not saving your passwords can help, but you may want to save them for convenience, which is less secure but understandable and perfectly fine. In addition to helping keep your information safe, clearing your cookies, cache and history can free up some space and power if you’re on a small device like a laptop or smartphone. You won’t be getting a big or even noticeable boost in speed or storage space, but it’s a nice bonus in addition to your security. These last options are a bit more drastic, but if you absolutely need to keep your information secure, then these steps are for you. First, you’ll want to access secure sites exclusively using encrypted signals to make sure your data isn’t stolen. You can force an encrypted signal by putting “https” in the url like this: en.wikipedia.com (unsecure) https://en.wikipedia.com (secure). For those of you who heard about the Heartbleed Bug, that was a bug discovered in https, specifically the X.509 certificates, that allowed easy exploitation, but it has since been fixed. Second, you should consider using a Virtual Private Network or VPN. These will allow you to connect to “proxy” servers, which will mask your signal, and go a massive way towards keeping your data safe. You can build your own, but for the less technologically inclined, you can pay a small fee to get access. Lastly, and this is what I’d say would be the most important step of all, practice safe Internet usage. It’s very simple, but it will go incredibly far as to keeping your data safe from prying eyes. Avoid sites that don’t allow https connections, make sure you’ve got some antivirus programs running, as some of them like Norton will also remove cookies on searches, and avoid sending sensitive information over any non-VPN connection. Even something like a Twitter private message can be compromised.
Nico Schuen/STAMPEDE
Leaving
for
Greener Pastures: From left, Jim Murray, Laurel Peak and Jill Waskowsky are enjoying their last days as staff members.
Three very special Mustangs say goodbye BY NICO SCHUEN
nschuen@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer
Along with today’s graduating seniors, three staff members are also saying their goodbyes to Portage Central this spring. Two of the three are Athletic Director Jim Murray and art teacher Jill Waskowsky,who are both retiring, while special education teacher Laurel Peak has taken a new teaching position in the state of Washington. Following her fourth and final year at Central, Peak will be leaving to become a program manager for a non-profit outdoor education company called Wild Whatcom in Sedro-Woolley, Wash., this summer. The company helps get students outside while teaching them to navigate the outdoors. Peak will begin her new job on June 13, giving her just days to finish her business here before taking up her new work in Washington. Peak, an avid lover of the outdoors, thinks this will be a fantastic job due to it being a blend of the outdoors and teaching, her other passion. One of the biggest things Peak is leaving behind is Moose Project, which she has been leading since its beginning four years ago. “I’m going to deeply, deeply miss Moose Project because it’s super fun and everyone has a positive attitude and energy,” Peak said. However, Moose Project is being left in the capable hands of Terra Brow and Casey Fry, who have both been working with and helping to lead the Project all year. Waskowsky has elected to retire after teaching for 27 years at Central. For all 27 years, she has been teaching art, her favorite subject. Despite her long career, her very first year was her most memorable.
“I was old enough and removed enough from teenagers that they were an alien species to me,” Waskowsky said. “One of the most amazing things was that I found they accepted me for who I was.” During her first year of teaching, Waskowsky taught a Creative Development class, which she had never taught before. Throughout the year, she made many errors, but the students forgave her while working with her to show her what to do. “I’m going to miss the camaraderie with both students and staff, the playfulness with teenagers, and Vance Siebers,” Waskowsky jokingly said. “They do keep you young, because I never seem to age, because my students are the same age.” After teaching for 21 years along with 15 years of coaching, Murray has decided to step down from his position as athletic director. For the first 14 years of teaching, he taught at Portage Northern while coaching the Portage Central hockey team. Coaching the team led him to taking a teaching position at Central, eventually leading to the athletic director position. One of his most memorable games as head coach of the hockey team was the 2008 regional finals against Muskegon Mona Shores. “We played Mona Shores in what seemed like every year in the state tournament, and that was the team that always knocked us out,” Murray said. “And we played Mona Shores, and we finally beat them.” However, Murray may not actually be leaving after stepping down. While nothing is official yet, he has told Eric Alburtus that he would be interested in part-time teaching. Murray’s main reason for stepping down is that he wants to see his grandchildren more. This part-time job would allow him that time, he said. “We have three boys that live in three different cities, and we want to be able to go see them more,” Murray added.
8
vibe Have you
herd?
Reviews from the central stampede
BadBadNotGood’s best album yet, and a landmark for jazz and hip-hop Every generation has musicians who are pushing the boundaries of music to new limits. Many of the artists aren’t being fully recognized for what they are doing. They are underrated pioneers who don’t receive credit until years later. One of our time’s most underrated groups is BadBadNotGood, or BBNG for short. The young trio of musicians is reinventing the way people think of jazz without receiving any of the attention they deserve. The group started to gain attention with their jazz renditions of famous hip-hop songs. Putting a jazzy flair on everything from Kanye to the “Legend of Zelda” soundtracks, the group proved that it could take whatever was thrown its way and turn it into something bold and original. Their most recent album, “III,” is their first full album with completely original material. The album is a strong statement that the band is more than just talented musicians who can play songs someone else wrote, and that they are all extremely talented song writers. Blending jazz and hip-hop seamlessly into intense songs, BBNG is pushing the limits of both themselves and jazz. “III” is a much more mature and focused album than the group’s previous releases. Perhaps it is the fact that they have written all the music themselves that puts them that much more in control of everything happening. I can only hope that someday the genius behind BBNG, and the importance of what they are doing for both hip-hop and jazz, is fully appreciated and seen on “III.”
-Reviewed by Devon Wilson
dwilson@centralstampede.com
Tune-Yards continue making quirky and imaginative songs Tune-Yards is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist Merrill Garbus. Tune-Yards started as her solo project in 2009 and Garbus now works with bass player Nate Brenner. “Nikki Nack” is the third and most recent Tune-Yards’ album and once again showcases Garbus’ talents as a musician and songwriter. In a music video for one of the singles released off of “Nikki Nack,” Garbus finds herself in what is her rendition of the old children’s show “PeeWee’s Playhouse.” It is one of the most imaginative and more frequently than not, strange shows of all time, now considered somewhat of a cult classic. This description could easily be applicable to Tune-Yards. “Nikki Nack” features music that is upbeat, imaginative and all around fun, with lyrics that are somewhat nonsensical, just adding to the quirky nature of Garbus and her music. “Nikki Nack” is not necessarily Tune-Yards’ best album, but it is a continuation of the fun-loving upbeat songs which Garbus creates and is something to be enjoyed and cherished for all of its imagination.
-Reviewed by Devon Wilson
dwilson@centralstampede.com
‘Neighbors’ is filled with pranks that keep the audience laughing “Neighbors” is the newly released comedy with an all-star cast including Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Dave Franco and Rose Byrne. A college fraternity moves into a new house next to a young family with a newborn baby. The family finds multiple issues from the frat because Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radener (Rose Byrne) go back on a promise. This creates a series of pranks towards one another, including the flooding of a house and stealing airbags. Zac Efron’s character, Teddy Sanders, is the president of Delta Psi Beta. Teddy is the mastermind behind all of the hilarious pranks for Delta Psi Beta. “Neighbors” is sure to keep you laughing the whole time. All of the characters are funny and charasmatic in their own way. The entire movie keeps you on your feet with no idea what will happen next. It is packed with drama which keeps the viewer interested. It was very hard to pick which side of the conflict was more funny. Overall, “Neighbors” earned a four out of five horseshoes.
-Reviewed by Austin Wolf
awolf@centralstampede.com
May 21, 2014
Local outdoor shows BY DEVON WILSON
dwilson@centralstampede.com
Vibe Editor
Summer is almost here and what better way to spend some of those warm days off from school than outside at a show. Outdoor shows and festivals are happening nearly nonstop over the summer and plenty are going on nearby. One of the closest venues for outdoor shows is actually one that most wouldn’t think of right away. Frederik Meijer Gardens is the host of an entire series of summer concerts. The series will kick off on June 1 and will come to a close on September 7. Meijer Gardens takes advantage of their large amphitheatre to provide a gorgeous outdoor venue that stands out from the rest. With flowers all around, the atmosphere is relaxed and easy going. There are no seats provided, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, presuming they meet the regulated size. Food and drink are also available, although a forewarning based on my personal experiences there, the food is fairly overpriced and they do allow patrons to bring in their own packed food, so bringing a dinner can be the smarter option. Acts this year include Carlos Santana, Tegan & Sara, The Beach Boys and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. Tickets are on sale now to the public but quickly sell out, so be sure to check the website as soon as possible if you plan on attending a show. If you are looking for something even larger for this summer, be sure to check out Lansing
from July 8th to the 12th. The 15th annual Common Ground festival will be going on and this year’s lineup is as large and vast as anyone could possibly hope for. Each day boasts a collection of artists from a certain style or genre with that genre changing day by day. From emo and rock one day to indie rock bands the next, it is sure to have something for everyone. Some of the headliners this year include Brand New, Circa Survive, Violent Femmes, Big Sean, Fitz & the Tantrums and Earth Wind & Fire. The festival is held in Adado Riverfront Park right in Lansing. Not too far of a drive considering the number of acts there per day. Other notable festivals for this summer include the Pitchfork festival in Chicago from July 18th to the 20th. Although three day passes have long since sold out, one day passes are still available from the festival’s website. Lollapalooza will of course be going on as well this summer, that will go on from August 1st to the 3rd in Chicago. Another of Michigan’s best outdoor concert venues is the DTE Energy Music Theater in Detroit. The DTE has been around since 1972 and is formerly known as Pine Knob Music Theatre. DTE is the place to be if you are looking for the larger names in music. Scheduled shows for this summer include acts such as Fall Out Boy, Journey, Nine Inch Nails and Kings of Leon. The DTE is a huge venue and one of the best places to see huge bands outdoors.
Choosing the musical BY HATTIE FOLEY
hfoley@centralstampede.com
Photo Editor After another excellent production by Portage Central’s drama department with “The Sound of Music,” questions are arising as to what the department will put on next school year. “Every year, people say ‘How can you possibly top this one?’ At this point, we just put our heads down and focus on the work,” musical theatre instructor Denene Mulay Koch said. “We have an amazing team of professionals working with us, and no matter what we do, the team and the students rise to the occasion of putting on the best show possible.” Director of Choirs Mrs. Cindy Hunter explains the timing of the decision making for choosing the musical: “We have not yet talked about the musical,” Hunter said. “We generally get together over the summer and look at what shows are available.” This gives the directors and producers an opportunity to see what new shows are available, according to Hunter. Students who will be a part of the musical next year have their opinions taken into account on the choice of musical, according to Hunter. Cast size and student interest are also taken into consideration and are important in the decision-making process. With this year’s production showcasing a heavy female cast, the department is planning on a show that would also incorporate more male roles, according to Hunter. “We try and choose shows that have large casts to showcase the most number of students,”
Hunter said. Hunter would prefer “a musical that features more of a rock-style theme, something a little different than what we’ve done in the past few years.” Mulay Koch is also in charge of helping to produce the musicals here at Central alongside her mother, Kathy Mulay, who will be helping her daughter slowly take over directing completely in the coming years. “We are considering ‘Mary Poppins,’ but we are considering a few others as well. Many factors go into the selection process,” Mulay Koch said. Is it a new show that the community hasn’t seen yet? Will audiences want to see it? Will it entice the students to audition? All of these are questions the department tries to answer. As for productions that are possibilities next year, Mulay Koch and Hunter both wish to focus on multiple lead productions. “When that is the goal, we look for a show with multiple leading roles, like ‘Grease,’” Mulay Koch said. Mulay Koch says that title is being considered “because it is well-loved by audiences, has great roles for both men and women, and would be fun for the students.” For students who have never participated in the musical and are interested in being a part of the fun, Mulay Koch leaves advice for aspiring actors and actresses: “Perform as much as you can! Take the Musical Theatre class and surround yourself with people who love what you love. Theatre is a tough business, but with dedication and training, you can learn a lot about yourself and discover if you’re really cut out for it.”
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vibe
May 21, 2014
Disney-themed cabaret a huge success BY HATTIE FOLEY
hfoley@centralstampede.com
Photo Editor Over Mother’s Day weekend, the choir hosted its sixth annual cabaret show, bringing in students and families from throughout the school and community. Guests enjoyed desserts and beverages served by the choir members, and the talented performers put on a show in the Multi-use Studio, also known as the Blue Room, singing and dancing to popular Disney songs. Acts included junior Heather Watson singing “Best of Friends” from “The Fox and the Hound”; juniors Brendon Mills, David Mapes and Chris Havelock singing “Hakuna Matata” from the “Lion King”; sophomore Till Longjohn performing “In Summer” from the recent Disney hit “Frozen”; junior Brendon Mills performing “Beyond the Sea” from “Finding Nemo”; junior Collette Green singing “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas” — the show featured all of these among many more spectacular performances. Opening the evenings were several full cast performances including “Be Our Guest” from “Beauty and the Beast,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from “Mary Poppins,” and performances from the Chamber choir and Concert choir which included “Let it Go” and “Candle on the Water.” “Cabaret is a way to see the choirs differently than they are normally viewed,” Hunter said. “It’s very much like a talent show with solos, duets, and large groups.” The change in venue from the auditorium stage to the Blue Room was due to the week prom fell on, the production of Annie Jr. put on by Central Middle, and the snow days which accumulated this year. The Blue Room also provides “a
Hattie Foley /STAMPEDE
Combined Choirs Perform: Complete ensemble performing the opening number at Portage Central choir’s sixth annual cabaret show. more intimate setting” according to Director of Choirs Cindy Hunter. The Disney theme was chosen for this year because of the strong connection students have to their favorite childhood songs, according to
Hunter. The first four years of Cabaret there was no theme, and students had a variety of song choices. Last year the theme, “Great American Songbook”, featured songs of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s was cho-
sen and was a success. This year was no exception, with brilliant talent from the students and great performances by all. Additional photos can be viewed online at centralstampede.com.
The hottest up-and-coming summer releases BY DEVON WILSON AND DAKOTAH LILLY
dwilson@centralstampede.com dlilly@centralstampede.com
Games:
Vibe Editor and Staff Writer
“Watch_Dogs”is a third-person shooter set in near-future Chicago after the installation of the world’s first “ctOS” by the company “Blume.” The game is built around the ability to hack the city around you through the use of Aiden Pierce’s (protagonist) smartphone. The phone’s hacking abilities range from the “Profiler,” an app that tells you exactly what someone’s job is, what their yearly income is, and gives you an option to hack their bank account, all the way to things like detecting whether a crime is about to be committed or changing stoplights to all green, and causing a city-wide blackout. According to the creative director Jonathan Morin, the game is planning to attack some very relevant topics of the modern age including privacy, and the prevalence of technology in our daily lives, as well as
how much we rely on it for our day-to-day activities. “Destiny” is a first-person shooter made by the massively acclaimed development team, Bungie. Creators of the Halo series, and pioneers of the console shooter, their next game is set to be a combination first-person shooter and role-playing game complete with massively multi-player aspects and a leveling progression system. The plot is set 700 years into the future, with humanity on the brink of extinction and the players known as “Guardians” set to protect the last city of humans. “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” is a third-person stealth-action shooter made by the well known director and developer Hideo Kojima. It’s the most recent entry in a series dating back to 1987 with the release of “Metal Gear”, and is a sequel of sorts to “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes,” (“The Phantom Pain” is the combined work of both “MGSV: GZ” and “MGSV: TPP”). The series is well known for a complex and intriguing plot, with many twists and turns; in this iteration you play as “Big Boss” in an adventure across military bases, taking them out and possibly gaining control of them, a part of the basebuilding part of the game.
Movies:
The follow up to the highly successful 2012 comedy, “21 Jump Street,” is due for a June release. “22 Jump Street” follows Channing Tatum
and Jonah Hill as undercover cops once more; this time however, they are investigating at a local college. Anticipation for this film is high, considering how well-received the first film was. “The Fault in Our Stars” is arguably the most highly anticipated book to film adaptation of the year. One of the top-selling books in the last several years, production of the movie began in 2013, and ever since the trailer premiered at the MTV Movie Awards, buzz about the film
has been nonstop. The set release date is June 6.
Music:
A guitar legend of modern times, Jack White, will be releasing his second solo album since the breakup of The White Stripes. It is the follow up to his extremely successful 2012 album, “Blunderbuss.” Due for June 10, “Lazaretto” is sure to be one of the summer’s biggest rock albums. One of the most anticipated indie-rock albums for this summer is The Antlers fifth studio album, “Familiars.” The band’s first album in around three years was announced months ago, and the excitement has been building up non-stop the entire time. Set for June 17, “Familiars” will hopefully live up to the hype.
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sports
New athletic director named Joe Wallace from Iowa was named as Jim Murray’s replacement following the May 6 millage vote
BY JARED LUTZ
jlutz@centralstampede.com
Sports Editor
Following an extensive application process in search of a new athletic director, Joe Wallace from Iowa City, Iowa was chosen to replace the current athletic director, Jim Murray. Wallace said he is excited to take over. “I know I’m following in the footsteps of giants like Dr. Larry Edlund and Mr. Jim Murray,” Wallace said. “They have set the bar very high. I look forward to carrying their success forward into the future and building upon them.” Wallace is currently Joe Wallace the assistant principal and activities director at Mount Vernon High School, located east of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As activities director, Wallace managed more than 14 varsity sports and 21 fine arts programs and clubs. At Mount Vernon, Wallace also held positions as a teacher and coach. Additionally, Wallace also served as the assistant football coach at Washburn University for a year before becoming the assistant football coach at Grand Valley State University for two years, prior to his work at Mount Vernon. While Wallace was a part of the program GVSU advanced to the Division II National Championship game in 2009.
Wallace received his bachelor’s degree at Cornell College in business and economics and secondary education, with a minor in American history. He then went on to receive his master’s of education in educational administration from Washburn University. The decision of the new athletic director was contingent on a selective board of varsity coaches, both assistant principals, Principal Eric Alburtus, activities director Kent White, athletic secretary Julie Morrissey, and a representative from Portage Public Schools human resources. The opening of this position sparked a surprising amount of interest from more than 100 applicants throughout the Midwest. There were four rounds in the selection process. Wallace held the interest of Alburtus and the deciding staff through his dedication and previous job positions. According to Alburtus, a main draw to Wallace was his diversified background on a teaching, coaching and administrative level. Wallace knows first-hand the views of a coach and both sides of a relationship between a coach and an administrator, and the difference between the programs he will be in charge of. “What my diversified background does to help me, though, is it lets me know where my true passions lie, and that’s in being a high school Athletic Director,” Wallace said. “Another great thing about Joe is he knows what musical season looks like and what hockey season looks like,” Alburtus said. Wallace also stood out because he simply wanted to be at Portage Central and has an unmatched work ethic and desire to excel. “What I really appreciate about Joe is that he is invested; he wants to be a part of this place,” Alburtus said. For Wallace, the reasons for wanting the position are simple. “The athletic director position at Portage Central allows [my family] the opportunity to be closer to family and closer to friends,” Wallace said. “Most importantly, though, it brings us to a
place that we believe has the same core values as us. It’s a great match.” There was potential for a shared athletic director position between both Portage high schools. If the May 6 millage did not pass, there most likely would not have been a position available for a Portage Central athletic director. The spring millage in Kalamazoo County has been approved in the past, giving Portage Public Schools the funding for an athletic director at both high school. This was a contributing factor to the number of applicants for this position, as many schools have already made the transition to one athletic director per district due to budget cuts. Wallace is fully prepared to assimilate into Portage Central. “Mount Vernon’s mascot is the Mustang and Iowa City Regina, my alma mater, has school colors of blue and gold, so I’m fully prepared to be a Portage Central Mustang!” Wallace said. Wallace’s wife, Destiny, is originally from Muskegon, which prompted Wallace to seek a job in Michigan initially. Wallace also has a 3-year-old daughter named Annie and a little boy, Liam, on the way, with a due date of July 29. “Annie can’t wait to be a PC Mustang,” Wallace said. “Her favorite color is pink so we will have to make up some pink Mustang gear.” Morrissey will be a large part of Wallace’s transition into Portage Central. “He is awful nice and seems very knowledgable,” Morrissey said. “I’ll help show him some of the ropes of PC.” Despite the excitement of a new colleague, Morrissey will miss Murray. “I’m sad to see him go, but happy he can enjoy life,” Morrissey said. Wallace’s contract starts July 1. According to Alburtus, the whole month of June will be used to assimilate Wallace into his new position. Wallace has also set up a new twitter account for his new position. The twitter handle is @ PCMustangSports.
Standout spring sports in SMAC-West Compiled by Jared Lutz, Ethan Dunlop and Matt Lightfoot Updated as of May 14
Women’s tennis After finishing sixth in the state last season, the girl’s tennis team is 9-1-4 and undefeated in the conference. The team is led by number one singles junior Lauren Lomax and number one doubles partners Paige Walters and Natalie Liou, after winning the conference tournament for the third year in a row.
Women’s soccer
Men’s lacrosse
The girls soccer team has made a bold statement with their 8-4-1 record. They opened the season with six straight wins, including wins over Hartland and Plainwell. With help from senior Madison Mazer and freshman Josie Sibley, they have had a great season so far, according to freshman Devin Jaqua. Seniors Katie McGruder and Jessica Dornoff will try to help lead their team to another district championship. Despite a disappointing loss to rival Portage Northern, the girls look to make a run at a state championship.
The men’s lacrosse team is having a very successful year with a 15-3 record. They had significant wins over state Rockford and Forest Hills Eastern. The team also beat crosstown rival Portage Northern in the Matt Thrasher Challenge with a score of 15-6 for the tenth straight year. They are led by juniors Zach Kinney and Michael Kuchenbuch in points this year. The team is currently ranked 26th in the state and beat Mattawan for the conference championship last week for the fourth year in a row.
Women’s softball
Men’s baseball
The fifth-ranked softball team is 28-2, with only a handful of games remaining in the season. The star-studded team is lead by seniors Lea Foerster, Gina Verduzco and Tanner Kiessel, with unexpected solid performances by sophomores Kim Verduzco and freshman Madison Cole. They have had strong victories over the reigning state champions, Mattawan, and a tough 13 inning performance ending with a victory against Lakeshore.The Mustangs have already won the conference championship.
The Mustang baseball team is an outstanding 11-3 in non-tournament games, with just a couple left to play. The Mustangs look to go deep in districts behind star players senior Ryan Mergener, juniors Jordyn Muffley and Luke Schaefer. The Mustangs also have a couple of big wins over Gull Lake which have given them much needed momentum which they hope to carry over into the post-season. They play their final games on Friday against Battle Creek Lakeview to cap off their great season.
May 21, 2014
McCamley Field: Dad’s Chuck T’s staff writer
B r i a n T a g g e tt
btaggett@centralstampede.com Every fall, it is filled with fans, damaged by three football games each week and exhibited with little pride. Look to the east on South Westnedge Avenue and see a $48 million school. To the west, facilities that have gone nearly untouched since Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Red Scare. McCamley Field is kind of like your dad’s Chuck Taylor Converse high-tops he used in intramural basketball. By 1960s standards, they were decent shoes for occasional use.Then, your dad wore those shoes biweekly, and also let his little brother wear the Chucks on those alternating weeks. Its 2014, the shoes have holes in them, smell like a hockey locker room, and could be mistaken for a dead rat wrapped in a red cloth. Now, you just found out you have to play a season of varsity basketball with your dad’s intramural basketball shoes. Between Portage Central’s and Portage Northern’s freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity football teams, 30 games were played on McCamley Field last fall. Stevensville-Lakeshore, a team that plays in one of the nicer facilities in Southwest Michigan, played 16 games combined between the three teams on their artificial-turf surface. Perhaps more shocking, the Lancers do not have to share their field with another team, despite having nearby high schools. Portage Northern’s team has to take buses to their home games. How pathetic is that? The Huskies step on the field, look East and see their archirival school’s building shadowing over the stadium. Either build them a football field, or at least upgrade McCamley Field to standards that could appropriately support two football teams. These are the two often considered resolutions that face the city of Portage school district. However, voting boundaries do not align with school boundaries, and the predicaments regarding McCamley Field continue to remain unresolved. Money is not the issue in this community. By no means does McCamley Field reflect Portage’s socioeconomic status. Look out at the parking lot. There are more Audis and BMWs here than at most car dealerships on Stadium Drive. The strength of the Portage football programs is not the question, either. The Mustangs are coming off their most successful season in program history, while the Huskies are a perennially competitive force in the SMAC-West. Because of the success, games are widely attended by the Portage community, which generally fills the 3,960-seat stadium to its capacity. The day the Portage community can unite to either renovate McCamley Field or build the Huskies a stadium may be the day the Mustang football coaching staff phases out the veer offense. Until then, it’s time to lace up dad’s Chuck Taylors for another season.
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May 21, 2014
Compiled by Jared Lutz and Brian Taggett
MUSTANG MEMORIES Highlights of the 2013-14 sports year
Individual stand-outs CONNOR WUORI - Junior Connor Wuori won 10 of his 14 cross country races this season and capped with a 12th place finish at the state finals. Wuori rebroke the school record with a 15:46 performance on Sept. 28 in the five kilometer race. Despite an injury that delayed his track season, Wuori ran a 4:28 mile in the SMAC Championship meet on May 10. MADDIE UMBERGER - Junior Maddie Umberger powered through this year’s women's swim season, which concluded in an individual state title in the 200-yard Individual Medley and a second place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. Umberger was nominated as WWMT-Channel 3's athlete of the week on Oct. 9. JERROD DAVIS - Senior Jerrod Davis was selected to the Kalamazoo Gazette’s dream team and the WWMT-Newschannel 3 player of the week following his breakthrough season. Davis set three school records, rushing for 1,700 yards, racking up 31 touchdowns, and claiming 190 points this season. Davis will continue his football career at Central Michigan University.
Football A dominant senior class carried the football team to the state semi-final game this year. The team stormed through conference play, claiming sole ownership of the conference championship, and concluded the regular season 9-0. A driving offense put up 444 points in the first nine games. The Muskegon Big Reds ended the Mustangs’ season in the semi-final state playoff game, following a 12-0 run. Seven seniors will continue their dominance on the football field in college with four on an athletic scholarship.
Courtesy of PC Football /STAMPEDE
All Smiles: The football team poses with the regional trophy after their championship game against Farmington Hills Harrison, after a 9-0 regular season.
Women’s swimming
Men’s tennis
Men’s basketball
The women's swim team finalized their season with an outstanding second place finish at the Division II state finals, trailing the state champions, Holland, by 52 points. They were led by junior Madison Umberger, who won the individual state championship in the 200 yard Individual Medley, senior Natalie Criswell and sophomore Madison Carlson. A confident team bought into the pre-season goal of a top three finish in the state. Head Coach Jim Schafer also won the women’s swimming coach of the year for Division II. This was the first banner hoisted to the gym ceiling since 2009.
The men’s tennis team had high hopes for a top five placement in the state finals and fell short with a still outstanding eighth place finish. Sophomore Ben Orwin was the number one singles player, racking up 23 wins this season, although Orwin lost in the second round in the state tournament to North Farmington High school. The team walked away with an undisputed conference championship and respectable wins in the regional tournament and Greater Kalamazoo tournament. With the rising talent of the current freshman and sophomores, the team looks ahead to successful seasons to come.
The men’s basketball team finished the regular season with a 10-10 record and a 7-7 conference record. Despite a first round loss in the playoffs to Niles, the season was remembered for the combination of new and experienced talent. Freshman Austin McCullough teamed up with senior Rodney Turner to lead the Mustangs in points this season. Highlights of the season include two wins against cross-town rival Portage Northern, a win against state runner-up Benton Harbor and a buzzer-beating three pointer by junior Chase Carlson to defeat Loy Norrix. Turner will continue his basketball career at Albion.
Kubiak accepted on men’s golf team BY ETHAN DUNLOP
edunlop@centralstampede.com
Staff Writer As we near the end of the year, the men’s golf team has had an eventful season. The golf team hired Abby Pearson as the varsity head coach, but due to job conflicts, she stepped down after only a few months into the program. Also, freshman Mikaela Kubiak joined the men’s varsity golf program after making it through tryouts. Kubiak played varsity volleyball in the fall, which restricted her from playing on the women’s golf team, also in the fall. “I was disappointed that volleyball and golf were in the same season so I wasn’t able to play with the girls, but I am happy to be able to have the opportunity to be on the men’s team,” Kubiak said. For Kubiak, it has been tough for her to have special relationships with her teammates because she is the only girl. According to Kubiak, practices have been going well throughout the year. “The guys are quiet at practice maybe because
they aren’t used to it,” Kubiak said. With some of the players on the golf team playing hockey with junior Christina Pattingale, a female who was a goalie on the men’s varsity hockey team, some of the guys are used to playing with a female, according to varsity golf and hockey player Cam Phelps. “It is a little different, but if [Kubiak] plays good, it really doesn’t matter to me,” Phelps said. Some of the members on the golf team think that it is not fair for a girl to play a guys sport, yet a guy can’t play a girls sport, but according to MHSAA, the team cannot deny a girl from trying out from a men’s sport. “She is able to play on the men’s team, but she is not allowed to play both women’s and men’s golf,” Athletic Director Jim Murray said. The team has high hopes for the end of the season, and now that they have Kubiak on the varsity team, they expect to win districts. “Hopefully she will contribute to the team this year,” Phelps said. The team looks to continue to have a successful 2014 season at the varsity and junior varsity level throughout districts.
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stampede
May 21, 2014
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