Vol 21 issue #4

Stampede C E N T R A L

Feb. 6, 2015

centralstampede.com

Vol. 21, Issue 4

How are coaches compensated?

Page 11

@CentralStampede

Portage Central H.S. l 8135 S. Westnedge Ave. l Portage, MI 49002

What’s Inside...

Paying attention?

Oct. 4, 2013

Student Council conducts distracted driving initiative Teachers begin to enforce phone policy

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Brian shares his new scholarship idea

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Movies that students need to see

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BY M ADI SO N JAQ UA Editor-in-Chief According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, in 2013, 43 percent of teens admitted to having used their phones at least once while driving in the 30 days prior to the survey. Junior Nikki Mason said she often sees drivers on the road, parents included, using their phones.

“It scares me when I’m riding with my friends, and they look down to check a message on their phone,” Mason said.

“They sometimes swerve out of their lane and come really close to other cars.”

This year, the idea of distracted driving has taken center stage, becoming a focal point for the administration and Student Council. Every year, administrators pursue one overarching campaign or program, such as the “Be the Change” initiative, a presentation by Jim Tuman called “People first, things second”, and a presentation about the use of social media. But this year, the main focus is distracted driving.

“We just try to find something to focus on for the year that we feel our students could benefit from and is a teachable moment outside of the classroom,” Assistant Principal Kim Lummis said.

The kickoff for the campaign was this week, as students were asked to sign pledges and received bracelets to remind themselves to avoid distracted driving.

As well, Student Coucil has created Remind101 accounts for each class to receive weekly texts about staying off their phones while driving. This year, instead of the Penny War, each class gets one point for every student that signs up for the account. The class that gets the most kids to sign up, wins.

The U.S. government’s official website for distracted driving defines it as any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. Although cell phone use is the main distraction, they also include eating, using a GPS and having passengers in your car.

“That’s the number one teen killer,” school liaison officer Andrea Ehlert said.

“It’s distracted driving accidents.”

The decision to pursue a distracted driving campaign came out of a culmination of many things. First, Ehlert brought to the administration’s attention a grant called Strive for a Safer Drive (S4SD). The

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE

Driving Safely: Freshman Hayden Bernardine mock-texts during a distracted driving simulation. Student Council kicked off its campaign to end distracted driving during both lunches on Tuesday.

S4SD grant requires that the campaign be student-run which is why Student Council was brought into the planning and decision making. As well, Lummis received an e-mail about a distracted driving program that the administration would be able to preview at a high school in Grand Rapids.

Senior Student Council member Robbie Overlander, Lummis, Activities Director Kent White and Ehlert traveled to Jenison High School to preview the program.

According to Overlander, once there, they watched a speaker present and then were allowed to use the distracted driving simulators. Lummis said that although the presentation was informational and helpful, the decision was made that the program wasn’t worth the money. And so the group brainstormed ideas on the car ride home and created their own form of campaign. “[This campaign] really evolved out of

conversation,” White said. “We just kind of started saying ‘Well, it would be better if we did this’ and ‘it would be better if they did that,’ ‘we could do this’, and it just kind of turned into, ‘we think that we can do this on our own.’”

Ehlert hopes that with this focus on distracted driving, new drivers can become aware of the laws regarding phone use in the car. One law in particular that she points out is Kelsey’s Law. Under this state law, any teen driver with their Level 1 or Level 2 Graduated Driver License cannot initiate or answer a phone call. Basically, if a driver with either of these two licenses has the phone out in the car, they run the risk of receiving up to $295 in fines. As well, there are laws against texting and driving.

“If you are caught texting and driving, even for adults, it’s a $100 fine,” Ehlert said.

White wants students to remember

What do students think?

98% 50% 45%

have been in a car with someone using their phone while driving admitted to using their phones while driving believe it is easy to use their phone while driving --Survey of 80 students

that this is a topic that affects everybody, as just one driver on the road taking out their phone puts everyone at risk.

“I’m excited that we’re doing a campaign for something that has such a worthwhile message to send,” Lummis added.

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Modified SAT to replace ACT Class of 2017 will be the first to take new standarized test

BY S HAWN A HUANG Staff Writer In a surprise announcement last month, the state of Michigan revealed that juniors throughout the state will be taking the SAT rather than the ACT as the state-administered college assessment exam. This change will take effect beginning in spring 2016.

The College Board, which runs the SAT, won the bid for the three-year contract for $17.1 million.

According to Principal Eric Alburtus, the College Board’s proposal offers more to students than any other vendor’s proposal and saves the state $15 million. However, ACT, Inc. has appealed the College Board’s win of the contract bid, which may lead to legal conflict “I was shocked,” Alburtus said. “To have that big of a change happen that quickly without knowing much ahead of time…I think all [of us] are a little taken aback.”

The Class of 2017 will be the first class to take the SAT in school, and they will be taking a redesigned version of the test. The College Board has made several changes to the test format. The test will be scored out of 1600 rather than 2400, and there will no longer be a quarter-point deduction for incorrect answers. It will now be divided into two sections: evidence-based reading and writing, which covers reading, writing, and language and math.

The essay will now be an optional section taken at the end of the test. It will be 50 minutes in length and scored separately rather than as a part of the writing score. Whereas the current essay requires students to take and support a position on an issue, the new essay will ask students to explain how the author of a source material builds an argument.

According to Alburtus, the redesign of the SAT is an attempt by the College Board to make the test a better reflection of the Common Core. The Common Core is a shared comprehensive curriculum among approximately 40 states covering all subject areas.

“What we have to do as teachers is learn the new

style and format of tests and then teach students testing strategies that match the types of tests that they’re going to face,” social studies teacher Tama Salisbury said. “It’ll be interesting to see how they change the SAT.” The College Board will provide students with free test prep and online practice tests through a partnership with Khan Academy. It will also offer profes-

toward applying science knowledge to reading passages rather than analyzing data.

“So much of what schools do has been geared toward preparing kids to do well on the ACT,” Alburtus said. “The SAT is a very different assessment than the ACT. On top of that, it’s going to be different next year [due to the redesign]. We’re going to be preparing students for a test [when] we have no idea what the test is going to look like.”

“What we’re doing [to prep students] probably won’t help on the SAT,” science teacher Aja Kaylor added. “I don’t know what to do.”

Essay Se This switch also affects how ction - 50 minutes Essay Se students will prepare for the test ction - 30 minutes and apply to college. While most Two sect major colleges, such as the Uniions: Evidence-ba Four sect versity of Michigan and Michigan sed ions: Eng writing, M reading/ lish, M State University, accept both the ath, Read ath. ing, Scien ce.

ACT and the SAT, some students 3 hours a perform better on one or the other nd 50 min utes 3 hours a due to the differences between the nd 25 min utes two tests. Sophomore Lily Kitagawa Composi says that the SAT is a test of endurte Score 4 001600 Composi ance, whereas the ACT is more a test te score 136 of skill. Students who still wish to take the ACT will now have to pay to take it outside of school.

“I'm excited because I think [the change] makes standardized testing more like it should be,” Kitagawa said. sion“The SAT is a more accurate gauge of abilal development to help ity [than the ACT].” administrators and teachers understand the new Current juniors will still take the ACT SAT and analyze test results. on March 3 and the ACT WorkKeys job skills assessThe state of Michigan has been focused on the ment on March 4. Freshmen and sophomores were ACT since the early 1970s, according to Alburtus. originally scheduled to take the ACT Aspire test, a More recently, every Michigan student has been reprepatory test for the ACT, in April. However, Alburtus quired to take the ACT, and ACT scores have been believes this switch to the SAT may alter the planned the main factor in evaluating a school’s success. With testing schedule. this change, however, teachers will have to adjust Alburtus said. “We’ll have to figure out what it how they prepare their students for the new exam. looks like, and we’ll have to figure out the best way For instance, with no science section on the SAT, scito prepare our students so they’re successful...we’ll ence teachers will now have to gear their preparation figure it out,” Alburtus said.

SAT vs.

ACT

Feb. 6, 2015

in brief

“The Poems that Ate Our Ears” contest The Friends of Poetry organization is giving students the opportunity to publish their poems.

Students are to submit their poem to “The Poems that Ate Our Ears” contest. This contest is divided into four different age groups. Group three hold 7th-9th grade students and group four holds 10th12th grade students. Those interested must mail their poem to Poems that Ate Our Ears, 2423 Russet drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. Students are allowed to submit up to three poems of any style but must be no longer than 20 lines. On the back of each poem, there must be the author’s name, grade, name of school, home address, and home phone number.

Poems must be sent by April 1. The winning authors will be invited to an award ceremony on June 6 at the Kalamazoo Public Library.

Next week, parent teacher conferences

Parent-teacher conferences for the second semester are scheduled for next week, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Teachers will host parents from 3:30 to 7:15 p.m. Later this month, mid-winter break is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, and Monday, March 2, giving students and staff a four-day weekend. Juniors will spend March 3 and 4 completing the ACT/MME, with more information to come. Listen to announcements.

Homecoming and play premiere tonight The upcoming play “West Side Story” will be performed throughout the weekends of Feb. 6th and the 13th, and all shows start at 7p.m., with the exception of Sunday showings which perform at 3p.m. The Homecoming Dance is going on tonight at PCHS in the Welcome Center!

A stronger enforcement on the cell phone policy

BY DAYTON J U DAY & GA BE PEDR AZ A Staff Writers This semester, the cell phone policy is being fully enforced on the use of cell phones in class.

The decision was made by the School Effectiveness Team (SET) committee. This team consists of a group of teachers who evaluate and make policies in the school referring to student activities and learning such as lunch, exams and especially cell phones.

In the fall of 2014, the misuse and overuse of cell phones was brought to the attention of the committee from a group of concerned teachers. In a survey sent to all teaching staff, 81 percent of teachers that replied had answered that there was a significant problem with cell phones during class.

The SET committee has left the discretion to individual teachers classroom policy. Teachers are being told to write a referral of a 2:50 detention immediately if a student doesn’t comply with the class cell phone rule.

“The 2:50 punishment is effective because if you make it less stringent, then it is not taken seriously,” SET committee member, Martha Keeler said.

Many students disagree with the teachers that 2:50’s are a reasonable punishment.

“The punishment should be that the teacher takes your phone for the hour and you get it back at the end of the hour,” junior Elijah Lentz said.

With this new enforcement, there is no doubt that an increase in attendance will fill up the after school detention rooms. The administration has stated that they are prepared for such an increase.

Some teachers have already enforced this phone policy such as science teacher Cathy Laurencig. Laurencig has written up multiple 2:50 detentions as her solution to the phone epidemic, even before the second semester enforcement of the policy.

“I do agree they are a problem in the classroom, which is why at the beginning of the year I took this stance,” Laurencig said. “I do find that these (2:50’s) have been effective, because the number of write ups has declined significantly in my classroom.”

The student body just learning about the new swift enforcement of cell phones has reacted with concern. Some anger has risen with the decision of the punishment for use of personal electronic devices.

“I believe they can be used for educational purposes,” junior Danny Knapick said. “The previous policy was fine.”

Teachers disagree with the students stating that cell phones are still a distraction in class. Around the school, teachers have been changing their cell phone policy this semester due to the misuse of them in previous years and the new enforcement of the policy.

“Most of us just say ‘Put your phone away’ and that doesn’t work,” Keeler said. “It works for a second and then the phone comes right back out.”

Caitlin Matthews/STAMPEDE

Busted: Andrew Backer and english teacher Theresa Mills display the consequences of using one’s phone in class.

Feb. 6, 2015

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Early/Middle College to debut in Portage New program allows students to earn college credit through 5 years of high school

Already implemented in two high schools in Kalamazoo County, the Early/Middle College program will soon be available to Portage students.

Set to start in Portage in the 2016-2017 school year, the program is a way for high school students to earn their high school diploma along with college credit. The program involves a fifth year of study that will primarily take place at Kalamazoo Valley Commu-

nity College (KVCC), and it is already underway in the Gull Lake and Schoolcraft school districts.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, the program allows you to earn a high school diploma and either an associate’s degree, the Michigan Early/Middle College Association (MEMCA) technical certification or up to 60 transferable college credits at the same time.

All of the college credits are paid for by the school district.

The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (K/RESA) has been assigned to implement

Lucy Forster/STAMPEDE

EdUexpo: Parents and students gathered at the Kalamazoo County Expo Center on Jan. 26 to learn

more about Early/Middle College and Education for Employment and the Arts. The Early/Middle College program is tentatively scheduled to be implemented into Portage for the 2016-2017 school year.

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the program, with Jim Murphy as the administrator.

According to Principal Eric Alburtus, the program is set to debut in Portage in 2016, making this year’s freshmen the first eligible class. However, the program preferably starts with students as sophomores.

Eventually, the program will look slightly different for each of the nine Rusty Stitt school districts in Kalama- Schoolcraft zoo County. The decision Superintendent on how the curriculum will be implemented here is still being discussed.

“The classes can be taught by high school teachers, taught in the high school by KVCC instructors or with dual enrollment,” Alburtus said.

No matter which way the program is taught, a student’s 13th year is solely at KVCC. Gull Lake senior Abigail Gossett is taking classes in a dual enrollment program. She feels the program is extremely beneficial, and she strongly advocates for it.

“I decided to join the Early/Middle College program so I could earn my associate’s degree,” Gossett said. “And my favorite part about the program is the freedom.”

At Schoolcraft, classes are taught by KVCC instructors at the high school, according to Alburtus.

As the program is introduced into more schools in Michigan, the number of students joining has increased.

Currently, at Bangor High School, another school with the Early/Middle College program, only 1 percent of juniors have joined the program; however, the number is slowly increasing in the younger grades, according to Bangor High School principal Wendy

Tremblay.

“We have seen the number grow to 3 percent in the current sophomore class and expect numbers to continue to grow as we expand the opportunities,” Tremblay said.

One conflict Portage has to iron out is the differences between IB and Early/Middle College. According to Alburtus, it is not inconceivable to do both programs, but the programs have different requirements.

Central and Northern high schools will be working on the program together, and issues about curriculum will be nearly the same, according to Alburtus.

Along with new programs come new challenges.

At Bangor, the administration has slowly implemented the program into their school.

“The greatest challenge has been the ability to provide the flexibility in scheduling that is necessary to attend both college and high school classes,” Tremblay said. “Our students, teachers and parents have been accommodating as we work through the changes.”

According to Alburtus, Portage is still in the “baby steps” of working out the details of the program.

There are numerous benefits to the Early/Middle College program, according to Rusty Stitt, Schoolcraft superintendent.

“Ultimately, by participating, students are able to receive up to an associate’s at no cost to them or their families,” Stitt said. “An additional benefit is that some students who will be participating in this program will receive the education and training that would allow them to get right into the workforce after their 13th grade.”

Ultimately...students

are able to receive up to an associate’s degree at

no cost to them or their families.

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BY LU CY F ORST ER News Editor

How social media affects college admissions

BY CA I TLI N MATTHEWS News Editor Over the summer, senior Rachel Rozek stood in awe only feet away from one of her favorite musicians, Frankie Ballard. To capture the amazing moment, Rozek took a picture with her father and posted it on Facebook. In her father’s hand was an alcoholic beverage.

With many colleges actively checking their applicants’ social media sites, Rozek wondered if pictures like the one she took at the concert would be looked at.

“Will that reflect on me?” Rozek said. “Why should I be the one to suffer if I am not doing anything?”

In a telephone poll conducted by The New York Times, 35 percent of undergraduate admissions officers had visited an applicant’s social media page in 2014. If the colleges see something that could tarnish the university’s reputation or standards, it can affect the applicant’s chance of being accepted.

“For the most part, they have numbers from the test scores and information kids fill out on applications,” Counselor Carla Kelly said. “And what they will

look for is a huge discrepancy between how the student reports they are, and how they actually are.”

In almost every meeting with the senior class, Kelly and her fellow counselors warn students about the dangers of social media. A single expletive probably wouldn’t damage a student’s application, but constant insults to other students or to employers could affect their chances of admission. Colleges want to make sure their incoming students are morally fit and mature, and checking their social media sites, according to Kelly, could show them a more personal view of their applicant.

Senior Meeghan Hoose avoids posting anything emotional or personal since it can lead to problems with other people. She understands why colleges check their applicants’ social media pages.

“I think that’s the responsible thing to do,” Hoose said. “This can reflect on their work ethic or if they’re going to succeed at the college.”

After calling multiple colleges in Michigan, only Hope College and Concordia University appear to check their applicants social media pages. This is due to the colleges standards and the amount of applications they receive. According to Mike Cook, the senior associate director at Michigan State University, only

the materials and documents sent by the applicant are reviewed.

“We are making an admissions decision on how likely it would be for that student to be successful here at Michigan State,” Cook said. “The best way to do that is by looking at their academic profile, or how well they did in high school, and their test scores.

Those are the strongest indicators on whether or not a student is going to be successful.”

Who Checks: -Hope College -Concordia University, Ann Arbor Source: Michigan colleges

Who Doesn’t: -MSU -Grand Valley -U of M -Michigan Tech -Kalamazoo College Source: Michigan colleges

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Feb. 6, 2015

Michigan’s switch to the SAT is a sudden and unwise decision Public school teachers and administrators were taken by surprise last month with the state of Michigan’s Department of Education announcing a switch from the ACT to the SAT. As a staff, we do not believe that the adjustment from the ACT to the SAT was the most responsible decision the state of Michigan could have made. The switch has not been adequately justified by the decision-makers.

This shift introduces predicaments for this year’s sophomores, who have been preparing for the ACT for a number of years. Without a doubt, results of the testing will affect schools’ rankings and assessments of teacher effectiveness. Additionally, it will take years to build a reliable set of data for judging student learning.

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 Room: 2116

The Central Stampede

Portage Central High School 8135 South Westnedge Ave. Portage, MI 49002

forces a shift in the instruction.

This transition is also poorly timed. The SAT is in the process of redesigning the test, preventing students from beginning preparation until the College Board officially announces the new SAT components.

For the vast number of drawbacks that outweigh the few advantages, we do not believe this switch was a wise decision by the state government of Michigan.

five on five

Stampede C E N T R A L

Scott Solomon Madison Jaqua Editors-in-Chief Caitlin Matthews, Lucy Forster............News Editors Brian Taggett...............................................View Editor Nico Schuen..............................................Focus Editor Devon Wilson..............................................Vibe Editor Jared Lutz..................................................Sports Editor Alex Block......................................... Website Manager Claire Abdo................................................Photo Editor Staff Writers: Jori Gelbaugh, Malak Ghazal, Shawna Huang, Dayton Juday, Dakotah Lilly, Nolan Caranci, Zach Franks, Kelsee Ha, Brianna Martinez, Olivia Oles, Bella Pedraza, Sharwari Salvi, Kate Spears Business Manager: Ethan Dunlop Adviser: Cheryl Braford

We believe it would have been a wiser decision to use a “grandfather clause” in order to phase in the SAT. This prevents the current sophomores from scoring low due to inadequate preparation and assists the upcoming test-takers in performing highly. Curriculum geared towards the ACT has been utilized by teachers, and the adjustment

staf f editorial

Emmersen Douglas, 9th

Max Mones, 10th

Audrey Orwin, 11th

Sam Vermeulen, 12th

Mrs. Bourbeau

1. What are your thoughts on the enforcement of the cell phone policy? (p. 2) I think it’s stupid because if you really need it in seminar...for homework [you] can’t [use it].

I agree with it...I think it’s good that you can’t use [your phone] during class time.

It seems a little too strict.

It’s a bunch of “fahooey”.

Hate it. Creates too many detentions.

2. What activity do you wish could get you an athletic scholarship? (p. 5) Probably jewelry or sculpting.

Being a manager.

Shopping. Would that sound dumb?

While I might be receiving a scholly for football, I would be far more interested in looking into land swimming.

Being a team manager.

3. What’s your favorite thing to do in Kalamazoo? (p. 7) Going downtown or going to Celery Flats or ice skating.

Play hockey, I guess.

Probably go to the movies.

Relive my childhood as a World War I ace pilot at the Air Zoo.

Shop.

4. What movie do you think every high school student should see? (p. 9) “Mean Girls”.

“The Blind Side”.

“The Parent Trap”.

“Hot Rod” because I’m 2 legit 2 quit.

“It’s a Wonderful Life”.

5. If you could coach any sport, what would it be? (p. 11) Swimming.

Hockey.

Soccer.

Middle school basketball like my hero Brian Taggett.

Cross country, but I wouldn’t want to compete with Mr. Wytko.

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Feb. 6, 2015

5

Is Michigan’s winter enjoyable?

The weather brings pretty scenery and snow days

BY MALAK GHAZAL Staff Writer Too many people are unappreciative of the greatness of Michigan’s winter. We are lucky to say we live in a state with four seasons. Even though it gets a little frosty, winter is something that is far beyond compare.

Snow makes everything look so much more magical. It’s like an extended Christ-

mas for three months. It crunches under your feet and lands in your hair. It sparkles on the way into school and covers the naked trees on the paths of Al Sabo.

This glittering powerdry magic brings us even more fabulous benefits, like pretending to be Canadians with three snow days in a row...imagine that. The snow brings us opportunities to sled, ski, snowboard and ice skate.

We can build snow forts and reenact “Frozen,” (do you want to build a snowman?) We can hike through the forest as if it’s the Skyrim landscape and drift down the road like it is a Fast & Furious movie.

These are things Floridians can only

dream of doing.

The beauty of living in the west side of Michigan is that we have this marvelous thing called “lake effect snow.” Bless inclement weather.

The days when I’ve woken up to find out the school is closed have been the biggest lifesavers. Who doesn’t love a snow day? Even our teachers throw ice cubes in their toilets, a common superstitious practice to bring a snowday, in hopes that they won’t have to make lesson plans for the next day.

Another bonus is that during winter we have an excuse to drink hot chocolate and tea all the time. A latte, which is

normally a treat during the summer, can now be a daily necessity. We need to have these “white girl” drinks to maintain our body heat. And no one can say anything, because it’s chilly.

Due to the cold, we wear pants all the time. And for girls, if we’re wearing pants all the time, that means that if we forget to shave one day, it’s no big deal. No one’s going to see it. The shaving requirements for girls are at an all time low during winter, which saves me a lot of time and a lot of razors.

I don’t understand what people are complaining about.

The cold never bothered me, anyway.

VS. B Y B R I A N TA G G E TT View Editor Look outside the windows on the North side of the parking lot. Observe the parking lot. Cars are parked in every direction and ignore any lines that may indicate a parking space.

The lines have faced the same direction since the parking lot was developed af few years ago and have not changed since, but somehow, student-drivers still do not have this down. This chaos captures the misery of a Michigan winter.

Perhaps the most dragging compo-

Chaos and inactivity dominate the winter months nent of winter is the beginning of every single day.

In the morning, I have to adjust my morning routine to begin ten minutes earlier to account for any lost time on the way to school. I brave the Arctic-like environment each morning to start my car and waste gas in idle solely to warm it.

While I hope my car doesn’t break down simultaneously with the rest of me, the trek to school mimics the “Polar Express” minus the train and any presence of joy whatsoever.

Once I survive the walk from the parking lot into the school by dodging drivers who disobey basic traffic laws, I ice skate my way into a school that is oftentimes colder than the outdoors.

I am fairly certain that this morning struggle is commonplace for many other students.

I do not enjoy winter; it marks a period of time of hibernation. However, our hibernation is not some cozy cave with fuzzy bears, it is a prevention of being fully active.

Outdoor activities are limited to skiing and snowboarding, which come with a price tag attached. Besides that, athletes won’t have much luck trying play baseball or soccer with a foot of snow on the ground.

Seeing the sun once every two weeks takes a toll on the mood of those who suffer from Michigan winter. And while a snow day may offer the occasional disruption from the tedious winter routine, the cold weather still inflicts chaos and inactivity for months.

Praise is well-deserved for ‘Charlie Hebdo’ B Y S C OTT S O LO M O N & B R I A N TA G G E TT

Editor-in-Chief & View Editor

Last month, grief struck the world as news came out about the attacks on “Charlie Hebdo”. This terrible event caused many people, including ourselves, to discuss what the freedom of expression truly means. As student journalists, or rather, members of a free society, we use our freedom of expression on a daily basis.

We believe that the freedom of expression is a principle of democracy, which both free countries like the United States and France operate under.

It is a right that can only be infringed upon when it is flagrantly abused to harm others, which “Charlie Hebdo” did not do.

There are a few restrictions to this free-

dom, many of which have been laid out by the United States Supreme Court for Americans. However, aside from these restrictions, the freedom of expression is endless.

We are not arguing that defacing a religion or religious figure is ethically correct, but under the freedom of expression, citizens in society have this right. The act of speaking out about the content of a satirical publication like “Charlie Hebdo” is protected by the freedom of expression.

The response from the rest of the staff at “Charlie Hebdo” has been tremendous.

They are not backing down to the terrorists, nor succuming to their wishes.

If publications ceded to the desires of terrorists aiming to limit expression, the world’s freedom would then backtrack and ultimately facilitate a terrorist victory.

Fortunately, this was not the case for the resilient “Charlie Hebdo”.

One of the largest reasons that the freedom of expression is so important is how it sparks positive change in society.

Every great revolution, whether political or social, started with an idea, and that idea was expressed in some way.

So while we look at the aftermath of the “Charlie Hebdo,” it is important to never take for granted our right to express ourselves freely.

BY BR IA N TAGGETT View Editor

Scholarship for super-fanning?

Senior Hunter Simino will have the opportunity to play football at the collegiate level. Valparaiso University, the Air Force Academy and Yale University have all demonstrated extensive interest. His speciality is snapping the ball between his legs a distance between seven and 15 yards and then returning to the sideline until the next 4th down.

Simino will receive a discount on his tuition. A former Portage Central student is currently bowling at Vanderbilt University on a scholarship. The University of Oregon football team even pays tuition for its ball boy.

College is expensive, and if one can receive money for snapping a ball between their legs, I am filled with envy.

With my college experience less than a year away, I need any penny I can receive in order to avoid post-graduation debt.

So to any college that may be reading this: can I be put on an athletic scholarship for being a fan?

I have extensive experience of superfanning from my time here at Portage Central. I’ve been named Fox 17’s Fan of the Week and have been elected most school spirit by my fellow seniors. I wore my lucky retro Mustangs track jersey at the football state semifinal game in 2013 despite the below freezing temperatures.

Clearly, dedication will not be an issue if I am awarded a scholarship.

For 50 percent off my tuition, I will gladly attend all collegiate football and basketball games. If room and board is covered, you can expect me to be covered in body paint regardless of the weather. Seventy-five percent off the tuition, and I will attend every men’s and women’s sport while fashioning the mascot’s headpiece. For an offer of full tuition plus room and board, you can even count on me to be the hype man for commencement and graduation speeches.

In fact, I would be willing to superfan at anything upon request if tuition would be covered. Move-in day? I will gladly motivate those families carrying boxes into dorms. Library crammed with students preparing for finals? Expect me painted up cheering on students. The dean’s son is celebrating his bar mitzvah?

I will be in attendance, as long as I can still wear a yarmulke.

If Hunter Simino can receive money for playing only on one of four downs in football, I should receive at least four times more scholarship money for having an integral role as a superfan, pumping up the team on all four downs. Besides, everyone knows Simino could never be a hype man at a graduation.

focus

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Feb. 6, 2015

Brothers advance to next level of soccer

BY S COTT S OLO M O N Editor-in-Chief

They grew up playing soccer, amongst other sports, for their dad who is a volunteer as a coach for the Portage Soccer Club. Senior Lewis Kordupel has Many great athletes have walked the hallways at been a teammate and friend of the Le brothers for 10 Portage Central over the years, but few have stories years, playing on their club team and during the high like Binh and An Le. school season.

Children of Vietnamese immigrants, both will be Kordupel compared growing up with the Le playing NCAA collegiate soccer next year. Binh Le will brothers to having two brothers that demanded the play at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while best out of each other.

An Le will play at Yale University.

“We always pushed each other to make each Being identical twins, they can remember spendother better and always found a way to have a blast,” ing a lot of their Kordupel said. lives together. Both The brothbrothers agree that ers have been growing up togethplaying under er meant they were head coach Tim always very comHalloran for four petitive and people years as they always compared played four years them, but this only on varsity. Halpushed them to loran said it has work harder at evbeen a pleasure erything they did. coaching the Le “I know that brothers over the An's pushed me in past four years. ways no one else “The same could because of dedication they the constant comput into their parisons and comschooling, they petition between put into their us,” Binh Le said. soccer play,” HalWhile both loran said.

Goaaal: An Le celebrates with his two older brothers, brothers said that Halloran said Viet and Nam, after scoring against Portage Northern. that no matter there is great competition between what the brotheach other, they ers do when they both knew they always had each other’s support. grow up, they will be successful human beings.

“At the end of the day,” An Le said, “I always knew Both Le brothers were named All-District and AllI had someone supportive next to me.”

Conference, and An Le received All-Region honors,

Cutting It Up: Binh Le dodges an opponent during a game against Rockford, creating a

scoring opportunity. Binh will continue his career at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

All-State First Team honors, 2014 Kalamazoo Gazette boys soccer Player of the Year and was voted 2014 team MVP by his teammates.

“Being named First Team All-State was very rewarding,” An Le said. “It felt great to be recognized for my efforts especially this year being my last season of high school soccer.”

As well as playing soccer, Binh Le participates in computer science competitions for the Kalamazoo

Area Math and Science Center Computer Science Team. Binh Le hopes to pursue a major related to computer science or engineering in college.

“The programming competitions are something I enjoy,” Binh Le said, “in addition to the computer science classes I've taken every year.”

Both brothers said that their time at PC and KAMSC has prepared them for college, and they look forward to making the transition.

Students’ works of art brighten up the school

Around The School: Above and below, art-

work lines the walls of Portage Central.

To the right, Mustang Way has been updated with the latest accomplishments.

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE

Since this building opened in the fall of 2011, an unspoken policy has been that walls, lockers and windows should remain relatively clear of clutter.

As a result, some students contended that the building lacked character or a unique culture, but that opinion may be changing as students begin to see their peers’ artwork in the library, in hallways and along Mustang Way. The last time Mustang Way was updated was prior to the official grand opening of the building. Athletic Director Joe Wallace, who is in his first year at Portage Central, said he enjoyed putting up new pictures of the past sport teams winning conference championships. Now that the hallway is updated, he said the athletic department will try to update it once a year.

“It was always something important to get done,” Wallace said. “It took so long because we had to make sure

we had all of the pictures and have them printed the way we wanted. We also had to put the roster under it. It [Mustang Way] was always important for us and [previous athletic director] Mr. Murray.”

According to Wallace, it will be a neat experience when kids walk down Mustang Way to see their pictures up and see their achievements as a team, on behalf of their school.

Junior Amanda Boelman experiences a similar feeling when she sees her artwork in the media center. There have been multiple other pieces of art shown in the library. Also, right next to the art room is a case that shows students’ artwork.

“Having my artwork up in the school makes me feel good about the work I’ve done in the class,” Boelman said. “It is nice being rewarded after spending a lot of time working on it.”

-Austin Wolf

Feb. 6, 2015

Central Rubiks Cubers

BY JORI GELBAU GH Staff Writer

the Cube using only their feet.

There are several types of cubes as well, the biggest being the 17x17x17 Very few people have mastered the cube, otherwise known as “Over The Top” Rubiks Cube, but one could find sev- and cost more than 1,000 dollars. eral experts or “Cubers” here. Junior Till Other variations include the Magic Longjohn and senior Shike Huang, bet- Cube and the 360 Cube. ter known as Owen, have both mastered When asked about his favorite Cube, the Cube, solving it at times of 24 seconds Longjohn chuckled and said, “Fast ones.” and under.

The current world record for a 3x3 “My dad used to do them [Rubiks cube, an astounding 5.55 seconds, was Cubes] and he doesn’t do it anymore, but set by Mat Walk in March 2013. The fasthe had one and I got curious and decided est foot solving was 25.14 seconds, with to solve it,” said Longjohn, who plans on the fastest one hand solving time of 8.75 competing once he seconds. cuts his time down.

Longjohn’s current Longjohn has been 3x3 record is 24.3 secsolving Cubes for onds, which he hopes several years, but his he will be able to cut practicing has been down and win. “on and off”.

Junior Nikki MaHuang, on the othson said, “I watched Till er hand, does not plan solving a Rubiks Cube to compete because in class and so I went he says he’s “not good out and bought one enough”, despite his because I thought it record time of 20 was cool, but it’s really seconds. He’s been hard.”

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE practicing for the past The Official Rubiks three months after Cube Site states that Solving the Puzzle: Till Longjohn his mom bought him there are 43 quintilpractices solving the Rubik’s Cube. a Rubiks Cube and he lion possible ways to decided to look up mix up a Rubiks Cube how to solve it. Since then, he’s practiced and the lowest possible number of moves every day to perfect his solving skills. is 20.

According to Wikipedia, official comSince its creation and popularity, Cupetitions involve various events in ad- bers have come up with different theories dition to the typical 3x3 competition, and methods of how to solve the Rubik’s in which candidates solve the cube five Cube, some of which are more complitimes and the average time of three at- cated but can achieve faster results once tempts determines the winner. practiced.

However, other events include blind“Just learn the basics first, and then folded solving, team solving, underwater start on harder levels,” Huang said to stusolving, solving use one hand and “foot dents who are interested in solving the solving”, in which a contestant deciphers Cube.

Montage returns this spring

BY N I CO SCH U EN Focus Editor Montage, the school’s creative writing and visual arts publication, has come back after a seven year vacancy. Students submit their own works to the staff who reviews each entry.

After reviewing all submissions, the Montage staff then formats each entry into a literary publication which will be purchasable for students, staff and the general public.

Due to its absence since 2009, many students may not know or even have heard of the publication.

One of the seniors on the staff, along with being the head of submissions and screen entries, Emily Stroh had not known about Montage until this year.

“I hadn’t heard of Montage until this year when Mr. Baas announced it to my fourth hour class, Creative Writing,” Stroh said. “I thought it was a great idea and was excited to get involved.”

Stroh is one of the 10 students who make up the Montage staff. These students, along with English teacher, Tyler

Baas and a few other teachers, get together every Wednesday afternoon to work on the publication.

While Stroh technically leads the group, they often hold open discussions, allowing the staff to hear everyone’s ideas.

Several staff members and students have been pushing for the return of Montage. One such student, and Montage member, is senior Emily Fulling while Principal Eric Alburtus has been advocating for the return ever since it’s departure.

“What I particularly liked about Montage was that it gave people a road to getting their voices out there,” Alburtus said. “Montage is poetry, it’s art, it’s short stories. Anything that can go on to a page, it can go into Montage.”

The submission deadline for written entries has already passed, but Montage has received over 50 entires and critiques have begun.

The visual arts submission has not yet ended though, allowing more students to enter their own works in the publication.

The staff is planning to have Montage available for purchase by the end of February or the beginning of March.

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What to do in Kalamazoo

Malak Ghazal/STAMPEDE

BY MALAK GHAZAL Staff Writer It’s come to my attention that the people of Portage Central High School find the city of Kalamazoo to be boring. “Kalamazoo is so lame. There’s nothing to do here. I can’t wait until I can leave.” It is disappointing, honestly.

Kalamazoo may be one of my favorite places on Earth, and all it takes is a little exploration to enjoy yourself in this town. There is so much to do here in this wonderful city and you won’t have to pay 15 dollars to get into Skyzone to do it either.

Go Downtown.

The streets are littered with cafes and boutiques, there’s murals hidden on walls of the south side and there’s always a little exploring that can be done in the city. Some of my favorite places to go are Water Street Coffee Joint, which is right on the railroad tracks and Bronson Park. But don’t be afraid to travel off the beaten path, there’s plenty of hidden gems you’ll discover.

Downtown also is known for holding a lot of festivals such as the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Greekfest, Island Fest and even music festivals. The Entertainment District loves to bring in local and upcoming musicians to play at their venues.

But I’m only scratching the surface. There’s the civic theatre, the KIA, Art Hops on the first friday of every month and Climb Kalamazoo, an indoor climbing park. Plus you might see the Banana Car drive by.

Taken

from the Town: Top, Shops and Boutiques on the Kalamazoo Mall.

Upper right, hiking path from KL Nature Preserve. Middle left, the haunted Henderson Castle. Bottom left, Asylum Lake preserve

Dessert Binge.

Dessert is one of the finer things in life, and Kalamazoo is home to Sweetwaters, Water Street, Chocolatea, Confections with Convictions and Kalamazoo Kettlecorn. Eating at any of those places brings me so much joy.

But if you want to go overboard, there is parlor on West Main called D’nicio’s. It’s a 50s themed diner, with amazing burgers, malts and shakes. There’s this thing they have called the Ice Cream Challenge.

If you eat a scoop of all 54 of their ice cream flavors, you get it for free. There’s a list of names on the wall of everyone who’s completed the challenge.

Go Ghostbusting.

Considering this town has been around for almost 200 years, there’s a fair share of ghost stories in Kzoo. Those who work at the Civic can amount to Thelma, a ghost who haunts the theatre. But if you’re feeling adventurous and want to pee your pants, here’s some places to visit around the city.

The Henderson Castle was built back in 1895 on West Main Street, and the ghosts of Frank and Mary Henderson are said to be seen roaming around the house. Not to mention, there’s a huge graveyard across the street.

Western Michigan University’s Vandercook Hall was closed after three girls committed suicide in the first floor bathroom and the building has been abandoned

since. Ivy now grows over the building. It’s beautiful, but still very eerie.

Asylum Lake preserve is located on Oakland Drive and down the street from the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital. It’s said that patients who escaped from the Hospital ran to Asylum Lake and lived there. The screams from the hospital still can be heard on the lake, and at night, there’s a little light from one of the old cabins that the patients lived in.

If the stories are true, then would a walk around midnight do any harm?

Maybe you’ll spot the ghosts yourself.

Get Outside.

Kalamazoo is known for having an extensive amount of outdoor parks, nature preserves and bike trails. Snow or sunshine, the parks have trails to wander through and they’re beautiful all seasons of the year. Some of my favorites are KL Ave., Asylum Lake and Al Sabo.

Plus Kalamazoo is the start of the Kal Haven Trail, a bike path that goes from Kzoo to South Haven. Take the hike during the 33.5 mile hike during the summer, but it even has a snowmobile path for the winter.

Despite what most say, Kalamazoo is amazing, and I’m so proud to say I come from such a fun, weird and beautiful little city.

vibe

8

Feb. 6, 2015

Game scores set the scene

Reviews Stampede from the

‘Unity’ doesn’t live up to predecessors’ legacy Ubisoft loves to toy with their customers. Every May, they release a fancy trailer where everything looks great and grand, raising hopes that maybe, just maybe, this “Assassin’s Creed” game will be of the caliber of the original “Assassin’s Creed.” And every year, Ubisoft lets me down. Especially with the release of “Assassin’s Creed: Unity.”

Played through the eyes of Arno, the Assassin, the game is beautiful. Take a walk through revolutionary France and find detailed renditions of Notre Dame and Versailles. The streets will be littered with newspapers, radicalists protests and guillotines.

Producers incorporated a much broader and innovative form of multiplayer: connect online and play an interactive mission in France.

However, “Unity” is like a castle built on pillars of sand. Touch and it will come tumbling down. Gameplay is extremely choppy.

Battle scenes are awkward. Sometimes Arno would stand on a wall, sometimes he’d get stuck in a hay basket. But the wicked wind which sent the castle tumbling down was the storyline.

Typically, these games are known for taking historical events and twisting the tale by incorporating the Assassins vs. the Templars rivalry. They chose the perfect setting: 1789, The French Revolution. However, almost none of the historical events of this Image via Ubisoft amazing time period are explored. It is never clear if the Assassin’s are with the radicalists or the royalists.

Instead, writers chose to focus the story of “Unity” on the love story of Arno, and Elise, a templar. To sum up this little exploration, it was cliche and boring in all aspects. Both Arno and Elise had little personality, so it was hard to connect or care about the characters. The end of their Romeo and Juliet tale was very emotionless. They might as well have named the game “Assassin’s Creed: Elise.”

The castle they built for “Unity” might be as grandeur as the Palace of Versailles, but such majesty supported by frail infrastructure crumbles down to mere dirt.

-R EV I E W E D BY MA LA K G H A ZA L

‘Lords of the Fallen’ tumbles short of expectations “Lords of the Fallen” is a game made and marketed to be a “Souls Killer,” meant to try to surpass the 2011 hit “Dark Souls.” The Souls series prides itself on difficulty, with collecting souls and integrating death into the gameplay as central mechanics, which separates it from other third-person fighting or brawler style titles.

“Lords of the Fallen” very blatantly copies several aspects of the series, but due to the fantastic gameplay of the souls games, this is a benefit, as solid controls and game design come along with it. The biggest draw by far whether intentional or not, is the jaw-dropping graphical fidelity. The game has an unparallelled amount of detail put into both the world, as well as in the actual textures and effects going on in the game. Like other big titles from recent memory including “Crysis 3” and “Battlefield 4,” this game stands head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to graphics. Unfortunately, despite having solid mechanics, good gameplay, and amazing graphics, the game runs into some technical issues, crashes are somewhat common, the game isn’t alt-tab friendly, and the game can even fail to recognize when a controller is being used, which is important for a game like this. A good game held back by technical limitations, but fans of the Souls series should give this game a try as soon as they can, everyone else, go ahead and wait for a price drop or a chance to try it yourself.

-R EV I E W E D BY D A K O T A H L I LLY

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average very good incredible

B Y D E V O N W I L S O N & D A KOTA H L I L LY Vibe Editor & Staff Writer Creating a distinct tone or feeling through music is a large aspect of what makes music such an interesting form of art. In the realm of video games, soundtracks need to create a very specific atmosphere while remaining in the background of the given world.

While traditional songs have an average length of three to four minutes, tracks from video games frequently fall under the two minute mark. In order to make up for the shortness the songs often loop indefinitely while players go about playing the game. Although the idea of creating a short loop seems simpler in theory than a traditional song, it is more challenging in practice. Creating a catchy melody and a specific ambience without growing monotonous requires precise skill.

A great example of music slightly changing the tone of a game is the “Animal Crossing” series. The game revolves around life in a small town with zero objectives aside from doing whatever it is you feel like doing at any given moment. The town follows a real world clock, so stores open and close and the sun rises and sets at the same times it would in the real world. The soundtrack follows an unusual pattern, changing songs every hour. The slight variations in style hour by hour give every part of the day its own feeling. Night time is slow moving with more minimalistic approaches to music than the upbeat midday songs. The transitions from hour to hour however are what truly set the music behind “Animal Crossing” apart from other soundtracks. The mood shifts in subtle ways that some full length albums struggle to accomplish smoothly.

A more memorable song comes from the “Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.” The game’s opening title music is simply referred to as “Title Theme” yet it remains one of the most stunning songs, even without hearing it in the setting it was created for.

The piano and ocarina arrangement complement each other perfectly and create an instant hint of nostalgia for the many who played through “Ocarina of Time.” Songs like this manage to withstand the years even outside of Hyrule.

Although video game soundtracks are often discounted as music to listen to outside of their respective games, certain songs stand extremely well on their own. Placed in the context of a game, the songs serve as another layer of environment for the game but when isolated the compositions become easy to appreciate as full songs.

A painfully overlooked type of music, video game scores have made some of the most influential and iconic songs of the last several decades and deserve recognition.

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Driving a sword through the skull of a 20 story creature is much more satisfying when the atmosphere of the game builds up the moment, and while the gameplay mechanics tend to take dominance in this regard, there’s no doubting the soundtrack of games as well. A bad soundtrack can be replaced with the player’s own preferred music, but the games that truly stand the test of time have scores that will be remembered far down the road.

Great examples of these soundtracks are games loved by many throughout the gaming community, whether it be something like “Dark Souls” which features almost no music in-game outside of the boss fights, or the older “Metroid Prime” series which used odd noises and subtleties to set the tone of the game, similar to “Silent Hill.”

“Metroid Prime” stands as one of the stronger examples of using music to set the tone. The game is built around the feeling of wonder as you explore new and alien planets, fighting space pirates along the way, and building the world around you with lore hidden within the game. The music was used to great effect to make the places you explore feel truly alien and unknown, using noises and rhythm that feel unnatural. Everyone has heard a trumpet and an electric guitar, but hearing a track that seems to be composed of a combination of static noise, alien clicking, electronic beeps, and a heavily altered version of the main theme is a whole new kind of experience.

A more recent example is the indie hit “Hotline: Miami,” a game that revels in the 80s atmosphere of neon and the best drum and synth noises out there.

It combines this with a trippy vibe via the constant use of rapidly changing colors and pixelated art style to bring a drug trip feeling to what is an older arcade game, with the vast majority of missions being simply “kill everything.” The game’s music backs this up with a digital soundtrack and changes in tone from one moment of the game to another. A great example of this is the title screen music being very relaxing, then starting a mission and hearing the electronica kick in with synth and drums to punctuate the beat. This is less a case of having the soundtrack matching the game world itself like in “Metroid Prime”, and much closer to actually matching the tone of the gameplay: frantic and exciting.

Music is a massive part of the game experience, and seeing so many developers treat this aspect of gaming with respect is something that will hopefully continue into the future. The best composers in the industry nail the atmosphere they were going for without requiring any help from the graphics or mechanics that come from the game itself.

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Feb. 6, 2015

Controversy hurts e-sports’ reputation

BY DA KOTA H L I L LY Staff Writer

The banning of multiple players from the “Counter Strike: Global Offensive” community made massive waves in the e-sports community. CS:GO is a popular competitive first-person shooter balanced around 5-on-5 play and has been influential in shaping e-sports along with “Defense of the Ancients” and “League of Legends,” which coincidentally also use 5-on-5 game modes primarily. The most recent shock to the system has been when multiple, highprofile CS:GO competitors were banned from the game for allegedly using hacks that allowed them to make shots and get kills that they likely wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. These players include KQLY of former LDLC team fame, a massively popular French team which is widely considered to be one of the best, as well as Epsilon from a different team.

This has been a major issue for e-sports, more now than ever before, as e-sports has always tended to be seen in a more negative, or less respectable light than traditional sports like basketball or football. Some argue that the lack of physical exertion invalidates it as a sport, while others say that it’s no less a sporting event than chess is. To put it simply, e-sports has never had the best of reputations even within the gaming community, and the idea seems to be polarizing. Already off to a rough start, it was dealt two major blows this year, the first being the previously mentioned banning, and the other being the use of an exploit by team Fnatic against LDLC. Dreamhack 2014 is a tournament that took place last year featuring some of the best CS:GO teams in the world including LDLC, Hellraisers, Virtus.pro, and the star of the show, Fnatic. Commentator Duncan Shields, or Thorin, said earlier this year in a series of videos he created that “we are entering an era of Fnatic,” and that they are likely the best team in the

via geekcore.dk

Electronic Audience: A massive audience gathers to watch the largest CS:GO tournament out there. world. They’ve come under fire for the Dreamhack tournament as a result of an exploit they used in a map called “Overpass,” which allowed them to boost one teammate in the air, by standing on the other, and allowing one team member with a sniper to see almost the entire map and kill the enemy team with ease. The issue with this is a term called “Pixelwalking,” which is using invisible pixels left over from when the map was being made as a place to stand on in-game, and was used in this boost. Fnatic used this exploit to come back from 3-12 against LDLC, and eventually win the match 16-13, after having allegedly kept the exploit a secret for three months, even going so far as to have a Youtube video taken down showcasing the exploit.

The banning from the hacks as well as the exploit used, and the witch hunt for any more competitive hackers has left a black mark in the face of e-sports, and unfortunately it seems to be a problem with the environment and the surroundings of the player.

While they are entirely at fault for their own actions, it can definitely be seen why these kinds of acts are performed. Some of the people involved in competitive e-sports are teenagers or barely that, and they’re playing in an environment that is toxic, as well as tempted by the massive cash prizes these tournaments give out. Combine that with the already polarized atmosphere between how legitimate e-sports really is, and it’s easy to see why some have turned to using illegal hacks or exploits in tourna-

Forrest Gump.

Forrest Gump, although a simpleton, lands himself in some of the most historical events of the 20th century. He is truly the all-American man, as he’s met Elvis, fought in Vietnam, met three of the presidents of the United States, called the hotel security during the Watergate scandal, invested in Apple computers, ran across America three times and played pingpong in China . His low IQ can bring viewers from laughs to tears in a matter of minutes.

Try to watch “Forrest Gump” without crying. If you can, give yourself a pat on the back, because “Jenny, is he smart?” plays our heartstrings.

in high school, from what we eat for lunch to our virginity and to our family problems. But what “The Breakfast Club” really brings to the table is that as teenagers, like Andrew Clark said, “We’re all pretty bizarre. Some are just better at hiding it.” It unites teenagers as a population. With all of the angst the characters have for their parents, school and life in general, it shows us that the jocks, the nerds, the potheads, the weirdos and the popular kids all have the same problems.

9

ments. These players aren’t professionals who have been in the business for years and years, and don’t understand the full ramifications of their actions, or simply don’t care as they know the reputation of e-sports is already something that they shouldn’t be worried about.

The hardest part of all this is swallowing the fact that there really isn’t a good way to put a stop to this. A hack could be as simple as plugging in a USB key, something that really wouldn’t be seen as suspicious on its own. One of the hacks players were banned for earlier this year was found as a part of a mod database that would download itself whenever the user would sign in to their account to play CS:GO, and even players from Fnatic, namely Flusha, have been accused of hacks with all sorts of theories including mouse firmware and even inside contacts within the tournaments themselves.

This is troublesome, as without a way to stop these cheaters and exploiters, it will be nearly impossible for e-sports to be considered reputable, as every good player out there will have the ever looming threat of witch-hunts and false accusations, pushing away potentially skilled players. Also, the viewers who make these tournaments a reality will jump ship as they see more reasons not to trust the players competing. As someone who has always had an interest in the competitive scene, it’s a shame to see these things come to light, as gaming is a very accessible hobby with a wide range of genres and opportunities for interesting play to come out of it. Knowing that every insane headshot could be a cheat, or that a team could pull some magic glitch out to destroy the competition, which may not be against the rules depending on the exploit, it’s difficult to really get into the competitive scene both as a viewer and a competitor. This can only hurt an already damaged area of gaming, something that took a long time to grow already, and without doubt will take a while to heal.

The five essential movies every high schooler should watch

BY MA LA K GH AZ AL Staff Writer The entertainment industry is a huge part of our culture today. But when America’s youth fails to watch some of the most groundbreaking movies of all time, it makes me quite concerned. So next time you are huddling under your blankets, hiding from society while eating a whole bag of Doritos and watching Netflix, make sure to add these five titles to your movie binge. These movies are quoted and referenced so often, it’s almost essential to watch them. So, without further adieu, here are five movies every high schooler should see.

‘Forrest Gump’

If America was a person, that person would be

‘The Breakfast Club’

There isn’t a movie that can accurately describe social cliques in high school like “The Breakfast Club.”

This movie points out things we laugh about

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‘The Wizard of Oz’

One of the most iconic movies of all time, “The Wizard of Oz” has sparked the imagination of thousands. Not only did it use amazing technicolor technology, it had many special effects like the realistic tornado, and the flying Wicked Witch of the West that further advanced Hollywood’s industry.

It’s a story of courage and friendship, as Dorothy steps into Oz and into the danger of the Wicked Witch. Without the help of her the Cowardly Lion, the not-so-scary Scarecrow, and the heartless Tin Man, she wouldn’t have made it back to Kansas.

Perhaps what connects to us as teens most is the fact that although Dorothy is unhappy with her life in Kansas and she tries to run away with Toto, “there’s no place like home,” and she regrets leaving in the first place.

‘Toy Story’

Our generation was brought up on this movie.

Almost everyone has a toy they secretly care for just in case they happen to be alive like they are in

“Toy Story.” It’s not only a story of friendship and wild imagination, but of how precious and innocent childhood can be.

It was also a movie that changed Hollywood forever. “Toy Story” was the first full-length computer animated feature film, bringing Pixar’s name to fame and changing the world of animation forever.

Although in today’s world of advanced computer animation the graphics seem rudimentary at best, they sure looked phenomenal to us on our VCRs. Not to mention “Toy Story” had not one, but two successful sequels, and they’re planning on releasing another in 2017.

‘The Lion King’

“The Lion King” may as well be Disney Animation Studio’s greatest triumph of all time. From its stunning visual effects, to one of the most original soundtracks ever, “The Lion King” has even turned into an extremely successful broadway musical, traveling all over the world and reaching the hearts of millions.

Scenes like the circle of life are so iconic, I reenact them with my cats.

Although this may be a kid’s movie, it definitely has very adult themes throughout the film. This movie deals with parental loss, jealousy and revenge as Scar takes over Pride Rock.

Another reason to love this movie is the fact that James Earl Jones, a.k.a. Darth Vader, voices Mufasa, and Matthew Broderick from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” voices Simba as an angsty teenage l-ion.

sports Spring sports get slow start Men’s soccer coach switches to the girls team due to snow covered fields

10

been said that the new coach will make the girls

BY NO LAN CA RA N CI & Z AC H F R ANKS work harder and be a more solid team overall.

Staff Writers "I'm really excited," Wright said. "We needed a new change of pace for the program."

Senior and varsity captain Sam Esposito says she One of Portage Central’s most successful school is excited to have Halloran as the new coach and sports, women’s soccer, is welcoming their new will expect him to push them hard and make them varsity coach, Tim Halloran, a better team. Since for the 2015 season. Halthis is the first time Halloran was the former men’s loran has ever coached coach and has had a great women’s soccer at reputation of success. He Portage Central, things plans on doing the same might be a little differwith the women’s team ent for the team. this season.

“I think it’ll just be Halloran said he different having a new decided to step down from coach,” Esposito said. the boys coaching position “He is running condibecause his son is a high tioning for us until the school soccer player at season starts so we are Kalamazoo Central and all getting used to how he didn't get to see him he does things now.” play enough. Also, coach The girls soccer Pat Norman announced program has a great his retirement this sumreputation of doing mer, leaving the spot well and Halloran plans for the women’s coach to keep that reputation open. and have a winning Luckily for Halloran, season. As for his apClaire Abdo/STAMPEDE he was able to take this proach to doing this, he coaching position and still New Coach In Town: New women’s soccer coach plans on coaching the be able to watch his son way he always has.

Tim Halloran instructs senior Bihn Le during a play.

"I'm going to coach practice with the men’s team this fall.

This isn't Halloran’s first the way I've always time coaching girls soccer. coached,” Halloran said.

He has 17 years of prior experience, 14 of those years “I've done it long enough that I know how I would were at Hackett and three years were at Otsego. like to see things done." Halloran expects the best Halloran says he is getting excited for the upcomout of his players and will try his hardest to make ing season and has been getting to know the girls them the best soccer players they can be. through off-season conditioning.

The men’s soccer coach position that Halloran The players feedback to this change has been left will be filled by assistant women’s soccer coach positive. According to senior Lauren Wright, it has Andrew Rice.

Feb. 6, 2015

Athletes face a disadvantage to athletes who can play year-round

BY JA R E D L U T Z Sports Editor

According to athetes across the Midwest, particularly in Michigan, spring athletes are at a disadvantage due to inclement weather that falls at the beginning of the spring season. This impacts game play at the beginning of the season, but more importantly, it impacts the pre-season training for spring athletes.

“We have a huge disadvantage in Michigan,” senior Austin Wills said. “We can't play year-round like other places.”

Athletes that have the advantage of playing year-round have proven to be more prone to college recruitment. According to Vanderbilt’s baseball recruiting in the past decade, 83 percent of baseball recruits came from the South, whereas only 8 percent came from the Midwest.

With two indoor facilities at Portage Central for athletes and nine varsity-level programs, there is not nearly enough space for all spring athletes to train.

Even for those programs that do reserve a spot in an indoor facility, the training is not sufficient enough for outdoor play, especially for baseball players.

“You can't get the full effect from the indoors.

The whole environment changes when you play and practice inside,” Wills said. “When you take ground balls indoors, it isn't the same as outside because the gym floors are flat.”

Similarly, the lacrosse team last year didn’t practice outdoors until after its first game due to

the snow-covered fields. Tryouts for lacrosse were held at Year Round Golf due to the lack of available facilities.

“Not being able to practice outside has always proven to be a big problem,” senior Michael Kuchenbuch said. “We can’t practice some of the skills that are essential to being successful on the lacrosse field.”

Despite the slow start to spring athletics, Portage Central’s level of play in athletics has yet to be defied by the weather, he said.

“Level of play is determined by the chemistry of the team and how hard they’re willing to work to reach their common goal,” Kuchenbuch said. “At PC, the goal is always to dominate.”

Sophomore Jack Shore agrees.

“We are the stronger breed,” Shore said. “We will make it work, and do it well.”

Last year the lacrosse team did prove to dominate, finishing with a conference championship.

Portage Central also claimed four more conference championships in other respective spring sports, and the softball team made it to the state championship and dropped a 4-2 heartbreaker to Bay City Western in the final game.

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE

Snowed In: Senior Alex McIntyre pitches off an

artificial mound during a winter workout in the stable on Jan. 20.

sports

Feb. 6, 2015

11

Claire Abdo/STAMPEDE

Game Ready: Varsity basketball coach Darryl

Blasingame fist-bumps junior Drew Kristin during the Niles game on Jan. 20.

Scott Solomon/STAMPEDE

Victory Smiles: After the 5-4 over-time win against Mona Shores, the hockey team poses with the championship trophy of the Stan Konrad tournament on Jan. 11 in Muskegon. This is the first time that Portage Central has ever won the Stan Konrad tournament. The team beat Grand Haven 7-3 the day before to move on to the championship game.

Overview of varsity winter sports Hockey

Men’s Bowling

Men’s Swimming

The hockey team has a current record of 11-6-1 and moving on undefeated (8-0) in conference play.

The Mustangs have claimed both the Portage Canoe in the Portage Classic against Portage Northern, and the Renbarger jug in the Renbarger Cup against Mattawan. The team is lead by captains Jared Lutz, Cam Phelps, Zach Kinney and Davin Renda. Kinney, the teams leader in points with 31, is currently out of commision due to a separated shoulder. Earlier this season, members of the hockey team traveled to Muskegon to partake in the Stan Konrad tournament. The team won the Stan Konrad for the first time in Portage Central history, beating Mona Shores 5-4 in overtime in the championship game. While there, the team participated in the ‘Polar Plunge’, an event in which individuals jump into a freezing lake in the dead of winter. The hockey team will participate in the Chelsea Showcase today, Feb. 6 and tomorrow, Feb. 7 for the first time.

The men’s bowling team continues moving forward through the season nearly undefeated, winning 11 out of the 12 matches that it has competed in. The team lost against Mattawan at Rainbow Lanes on Jan. 3. According to co-captain Don Knowles, the team was winning against Mattawan’s team.

Although, when a Mattawan bowler broke the ball machine, they were forced to switch lanes and move to a new lane that was oiled differently. Mattawan pulled ahead of the Mustang’s bowling team, putting an end to their undefeated season. The team will be bowling at Royal Scot bowling alley for the 2015 regional competition on Feb. 27.

The men’s swimming and diving team has started off with a strong, undefeated conference record of 6-0. Their overall record is 8-1. The teams record is based on dual meets. The team does not label captains, but is led by upperclassmen. The biggest conference competition for the Mustangs this year is Battle Creek Lakeview, who they matched up with yesterday, Feb. 5. Currently, there are no injuries on the team. The state tournament for men’s swimming and diving team will be held on Mar. 13 and 14 at Holland Aquatic Center.

Women’s Basketball The women’s basketball team has started their season with a 0-12 record. This year the team is led by seniors Lexi Hite and Andrea Nord. There have been no injuries on the women’s basketball team this year. The team will tip off against Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 10. This will be a league game for the Mustangs.

Women’s Bowling The women’s bowling team begins to close their season with a conference record of 0-1 and a current record of 1-1. The team ends their season with the 2015 Region 2 tournament on Feb. 28 and 29 at Royal Scot Golf and Bowl in Lansing. Michelle Kingsley recovers from a shoulder injury that occurred last season while Darcy Bucknell was awarded Athlete of the Week by Kalamazoo Gazette for the week of Dec. 9th. Bucknell contributed to the team’s win over Loy Norrix with her 343 series roll.

Men’s Basketball After starting the season 1-6, the men’s basketball team has won three of their last four games.

They are currently 2-3 in the conference with wins against St. Joe and Niles. Lakeshore is currently dominating the lead with a conference record of 5-0.

There are currently no injuries on the varsity team.

Leading scorer sophomore Austin McCullough has put up 57 points in his last three games including 31 points against Gull Lake on Jan. 27. For the mustang’s homecoming game, they will face off against Benton Harbor tonight at 7 p.m. Benton Harbor is currently 11-3.

Alpine Skiing The Portage Alpine Ski Team is a combined team of Portage Central and Portage Northern, coached

by Brett Dodds and Linda Kozacki. Currently Portage boys are seeded first out of the South West Michigan High School Ski League and girls are seeded third.

At a previous race on Jan. 21 freshman Sam Scheffel placed first in boys slalom and senior Michael Kuchenbuch placed first in boys giant slalom. The next race is this year’s Regional Championship held at Crystal Mountain on Feb. 11. The top six boy and girl ski racers from the team will compete. There are currently no injuries on the team.

Wrestling The Portage Central wrestling team is coached

by Ken Haughn and James Carrow. It is a fairly new team that consists of one senior, two juniors, three sophomores and 15 freshmen. They are currently 4-7 in the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference. The teams only injued player, Collin Fuller, is currently not competing due to a concussion. Sophomore Dante Latora is leading the team with a record of 33-5 and a state ranking. The next meet is this Saturday Feb. 7 at Portage Northern.

Competitive Cheer The competitive cheer team has had an invigorating season so far with multiple tournament wins.

The teams greatest victory was at the Mustang Invite on Dec. 20. The team competed in a round three event in front of their home crowd where every stunt group hit their stunts. The team’s freshman Karsyn Valk is now out for the season due to a foot injury. The team will compete in the Caledonia Invite on Feb. 7 and the Vicksburg Invite on Feb. 18.

COMPILED BY JARED LUTZ, BELLA PEDRAZA, SHARWARI SALVI, OLIVIA OLES, KELSEE HA, KATE SPEARS & BRIANNA MARTINEZ

Sports Editor & Staff Writers

Coaches aim for wins, not cash

BY JA R ED LUTZ Sports Editor Teachers are highly recommended to coach or participate in extracurricular activities, although there is little incentive for them to do so. Coaches at the high school level do not coach for the money, they say they coach for the love of the game.

For varsity level head coaches, there are six different salaries, which are based on the sport. Similar to teacher’s contracts, coaches are on a step-pay contract. This contract has 15 steps, or 15 years. The highest paid coach in Portage Public Schools after 15 years will receive $8,460 and the lowest paid coach after one year will receive $3,438.

Men’s and women’s basketball, football and volleyball are the sports on the highest pay grade.

Volleyball was not initially on the highest pay grade, but to provide equality in coaches salaries due to Title IX, volleyball moved up the pay grade.

Although, based on the previous experience of a coach, the school can request to start the coach on a higher step for their first year.

The only incentive provided to teachers for a successful season is an extra $100 for every game won in the post-season. There is no other incentive awarded to coaches based on the success of their team.

Senior Hunter Simino believes there should be more incentives for high school coaches.

“A coach should have incentives built in for winning conferences and states and other championships,” Simino said.

It is up to the district to determine how many coaches there will be allotted for in the salary contract. Some programs are allotted up to three assistant coaches, and some programs have the money for one. There are many programs where the head coach will decide to either split up assistant coach contracts or have booster clubs help pay for assistant coaches.

Under Governor Snyder’s budget cuts to education, there is little room for high school athletic money. Teachers and other staff members directly related to the education of students take priority in the available money in the school district.

To help fund athletic programs, booster clubs have also provided extra incentives to high school coaches of their respective sport. This is additional money for athletic programs outside of the pay to participate, which was established in the 2012-2013 season.

Alburtus specifically likes to build relationships between colleges and students. Athletics is an easy outlet to do so.

“We work hard to find teacher coaches,” Principal Eric Alburtus said. “We encourage staff members to get involved with students outside the classroom.”

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