Central Stampede Vol. 25: Issue 2 by Central Stampede

Vol. 24, Issue 2

Nov. 16, 2018

POLL: Is the IB Diploma worth it?

Yes 26% No 74%

@CentralStampede

See page 5!

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

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Central and Northern share few similarities BY BRYAN CASSEM Editor-in-Chief Despite being a part of the same school district, the other closest similarity that Portage Central and Portage Northern share is their proximity. The two schools differ in almost every other aspect from each other. Every school is bound to have components that make it unique such as its student body and staff, which makes sense. Between Portage Central and Portage Northern, one major difference is the amount of diversity that exists within the student population. “What I’ve seen is that we have a lot more diversity than Portage Central does,” Kalina Dusenberry, a Portage Northern senior, said. “I think we have more students of color and it seems like the student body at Portage Central is less diverse than ours.” “A lot of the walls at my school are all painted and drawn on and colorful. In my opinion the student body as a whole is way more artistic there than it is at Portage Central,” Sasha Springman, another senior at Portage Northern, said. Dusenberry added that another contrast between the schools is the style of teaching the students receive, including Portage Northern’s method of running the IB program. She also discussed the difference between the studentstaff relationships at each school. “I’d say structurally based on principles and things like that,

what I’ve seen is that at Portage Central the principals are more involved,” Dusenberry said. “They know your name and they know who you are whereas I’ve never had a conversation with my principal, but I know the vice principals are nice and super involved.” Other differences exist in the school rules as well. “We get to wear backpacks to class and wear hats at school,” Springman said. Principal Eric Alburtus gave insight as to why the two schools diverge when it comes to certain topics such as these. “The way the backpack conversation started is because of parents and local doctors,” Alburtus said. “Basically, their concern was that in the old building, you didn’t have a choice but to wear your backpack.” He noted that for some people, wearing heavy backpacks was fine, but eventually parents and doctors got involved in the discussion and said it was unacceptable to have a high school where smaller students would have to carry them around all day. “As we worked on the campaign for the new building, that became one of the things we talked about. We wanted to build a school where you don’t have to carry around a backpack,” Alburtus said. As for Portage Northern, however, this concept was unrealistic due to the structural layout of their building, so the school still allows students to wear backpacks to classes. “Over time, Portage Central and Portage Northern have developed these weird quirky differences,” Alburtus said. “We do a lot of things the same, but at the same time we have a lot of these somewhat little and somewhat big differences between the two places. On one hand, we at the Portage Public Schools system want the two high schools to be pretty much the same, but history and culture are powerful things, and they change us in really weird ways sometimes.”

V S Page designed by Bryan Cassem and Ashna Mehra

What’s Inside... Adventures in blind dating!

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Dance team profile

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See the results of the midterm elections!

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news

Nov. 16 2018

In Brief

School

City

Breadlift will be taking place tomorrow! Go out with a group of four friends and help save babies. It will start at 8 a.m. in the commons. When you reach the school, you will reciieve bread, a map and some snacks. Breadlift is an event that raises money for the March of Dimes to prevent premature births. “Breadagonia” shirts are also available for sale.

Thanksgiving break starts Nov. 21 and goes through Nov. 25. School will start again on the following Monday, Nov 26. Nov. 20 is still a full day. .

Shedd Aquarium orientations WMUK, our local NPR news station, has recently been interviewing students in our community about their thoughts on climate change. This campaign hopes to bring an end to climate change and help save the earth. Anyone can share their thoughts about how they feel by calling into WMUK at any time. You can tell them what you would like our local leaders to investigate regarding climate change.

PHOTO COMPILATION BY LAUREN McCOLLEY/STAMPEDE

World Views BY ASHNA MEHRA Edior-in-Chief

For high school students who are looking for an opportunity to increase their experience or satisfy an interest in biology and field research, the Teen Orientations program at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago may be a good fit for you! The teen orientations allow you to delve deeper into your passions and connect you to each of the aquarium’s programs as you work in the aquarium with the staff. The best part is that they are free and take place once a month! The next orientation is Nov. 17 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Visit the Shedd Aquarium website for more information.

Women’s ensemble concert

World The United States has made an executive decision to stop refueling Saudi aircraft in the Yemen war. Currently, the US military refuels 20 percent of all Saudi planes that fly as part of the operation in Yemen. However, this change does not affect the US military assistance to improve Saudi airstrikes. As a result, the impact that this will have on the war is little to none – however, it can be used by President Trump as a plea to say that he has taken action against the Saudis for their attacks on Yemen.

Thanksgiving break to come

State As of the midterm general election on Nov. 6, marijuana is now legalized. You are still required to be 21 years old to purchase marijuana legally. The vote was close at a 56-44 percent margin. Michigan is the first state in the midwest to legalize the drug. This doesn’t mean that marijuana will be readily available in stores for recreational use – it just won’t be illegal. Regulations will still be in full effect for under 21.

The Portage Central Women’s Ensemble will be performing at St. Mary’s college for the 34th Annual High School Women’s Choir Festival. The festival will take place on November 16th and it contains 20 hand selected schools from around the midwest. If you are unable to attend on the 16th, you can watch all the choirs on Tuesday, December 18 at 7 pm at First Presbyterian Church.

The “Be the Change” picnic Portage Central High School is hosting the “Be the Change” picnic on November 20. This will be the 20th annual event. During the picnic, the students and staff will be served a meal from the “Be the Change” Committee. Cathy Laurencig biology teacher is the “Be the Change” Committee chair so contact her with any questions. Her email is claurencig@ portageps.org.

Purchase a personalized brick

Country California wildfires have turned deadly as tens of thousands are evacuating from their homes to seek shelter. There are a total of three wildfires that have devastated residents throughout California. The fires have already burned through 111,000 acres of land and injured many firefighters. Additionally, over 2,000 buildings and homes have been destroyed. The largest fire named Camp Fire was in northern California and destroyed 90 percent of the homes in that town. As of this Tuesday, the death toll had reached 44 people.

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There’s still time to make your legacy and buy a personalized brick for the new McCamley field. You can buy a four by eight brick with four lines and eighteen characters per line for 100 dollars. You can also buy a eight by eight brick with eight lines and eighteen characters per line for 200 dollars. Visit http://pcbricksale. com to order your brick today.

Natatorium tiles for sale now If you would like to leave your mark on the natatorium, you can purchase a customizable tile today. Small tiles are $125 and large tiles are $250. Tiles will be displayed on the donor wall of the upper balcony in the form of a wave. You can customize your tile with a personal message or whatever you choose. You do not have to be a swimmer or diver to leave your legacy. Go to pcmustangsports.com to purchase your tile today.

news

Nov. 16 2018

Results of the 2018 general election

BY KAROU MURAI Website Editor-in-Chief Americans, during the midterm elections held Nov. 8, had the first chance to pass official judgement over President Donald Trump’s progress ever since his inauguration two years ago. The results have revealed a Republican dominant Senate and a democrat dominant House. As a rule, the US holds congressional elections every two years, where the whole House of Representatives and one third of the 100-member Senate are elected.

This election yielded for Michigan a new state governor, democrat Gretchen Whitmer, a drastic change from the previous governor Rick Snyder, a Republican. However, the Kalamazoo area US representative, Republican Fred Upton was re-elected for a 13th term in congress while our senators. After the previous election cycle in 2016, Americans were left with a Republican-red dominated house and senate, all led by Trump. As an effect of this decision, many republican centric political agendas have been fulfilled, while democrats had little power to sway decisions. As a results of these midterms, Democrats were hoping for a

“blue-wave” of votes to place themselves in a substantially better position to moderate Trump’s agenda. Their hopes were only half met, as the Senate still remains red-dominant. However, their new control over the lower House will allow an increase in power to affect policy decisions. In the past two years, Trump has been able to wield his power to rapidly progress a very Republican, yet untraditional political agenda throughout various points of the political discussion. Now that his House has been taken over by Democrats, Americans can now expect a slightly different pattern in policy decisions.

Marching band puts stellar work into their season

Gavin Thrash gracefully marches in uniform during a competion.

BY LIZ WILLIAMS Staff Writer As marching band comes to an end, many people begin to overlook the hard work put into this season. Being in band takes a lot of time and energy, but the students are often underappreciated for their work. Marching band practice takes place every Monday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students also attend a pre-camp in the summer for one week from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Additionally, they have competitions every weekend for four weeks straight. Marching band students spend hours devel-

COURTESY OF GAVIN THRASH

Marching band members walk on the track before a performance.

oping about a ten minute performance that they strive to perfect. “It’s not just people messing around, it’s actually kind of difficult to do,” sophomore Jon Esposito said. In band, everything is very organized and profound. In order for performances to go as planned, students must carry out precise procedures exactly. “It’s like the whole band is one person, it just works,” sophomore Gavin Thrash said. Thrash says he sees it as a bittersweet thing. It may be difficult in the beginning, but it’s all worth it in the end. Spending this much time together has also brought bandmates closer.

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COURTESY OF PORTAGE CENTRAL BANDS

“It’s almost like a family,” Thrash said. It’s seen as a place to make great friendships and spend time creating something amazing. “I just do it for fun, I like hanging out with all of my friends and making good sounds,” sophomore Max Schramm said. To many students, band is a place to have a good time. At things like competitions and football games, the band is eager to show off what they’ve been working on and surprise the audience. With the support and love from one another, the tasks in marching band are much easier to perform. Their devotion for this activity is incredibly strong.

opinion

Nov. 16, 2018

Divided congress ushers in a new age of partisanship After nearly a decade, Democrats have finally taken back control of the House of Representatives from the existing Republican majority. Following the November 16 midterm election, Democrats passed the 218 representative threshold and will retain authority in America’s lower house until the year 2020, at the least. However, Senate Republicans still have a plurality of members, having exceeded 50 members on Tuesday. Therefore, Congress has been split once again. A rift in Congress is obviously nothing new—the legislative branch was divided under the Obama administration from the years 2010 to 2016, which only ended in a united government when Republicans

central stampede

swept the polls when President Trump was elected in 2016. Perhaps this divided government highlights in our own deeply polarized nation. Will these two houses ever get along and pass on a single bill to be signed? Although the answer will clearly be yes, what was once a humorous statement seems to be less of a joke nowadays. Because this time, our legislature will be different. We can expect to see instances of policy-gridlock exceed historical values as red and blue clashes over each and every controversial proposal. All the evidence points to the fact that our nation has be-

staf f editorial

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

be more good to expect than ever, also. Congress experienced a new batch of firsts—the first Muslim-American and Native American congresswomen, more LGBTQ legislators than ever, and overall, more women than ever—creating the most diverse body of lawmakers the country has ever seen. Although dissenters with the issue of identity politics always looms, the two chambers will definitely come to represent more of what the general population of the United States looks like, bringing satisfaction to those that are underrepresented. This optimism may be the driving force as America waits to see what the 116th Congress can do.

five on five

Ashna Mehra Bryan Cassem Editors-in-Chief Kaoru Murai Website Editor-in-Chief

Lauren McColley ...................................News Editor Ethan Lee ..........................................Opinion Editor Bridget Doyle...............................Student Life Editor Paige Berry...............................Entertainment Editor Zach Bumgarner & Jack Juday.............Sports Editors Lauren McColley...................................Photo Editor Staff Writers: Ranya Jamal, Maggie Farrell, Daaren Bukhari, Liz Williams and Caroline Maier Business Manager: Ethan Lee Adviser: James Phillips

come more polarized than ever. This statement comes from our staff’s own reporting of the Kavanaugh hearings, which came down as the most contentious vote in the history of the court. The growing partisanship is evident everywhere; since when have more political ads called on blaming the other party, and even a 2016 study by the trusted Pew Research Center finds that each party views the other “extremely unfavorably.” In conclusion, Congress must find solutions, because the country needs solutions. On the bright side, perhaps there will

Elisabeth Crawford, 9th

Gavin Arkinstall, 10th

Sydney Sonday, 11th

Matthew Fackler, 12th

Mr. Halloran

1. What is one significant difference between PC and PN? PC school colors are blue and gold, and PN colors are brown and orange.

At PN they can wear hats and use their backpacks, which would be a great addition to PC.

We can’t carry backpacks or wear hats.

Our school building isn’t a literal labyrinth.

School colors: Orange and brown; gross.

My life. It’s hard not to notice how amazing the world can be, so I’m very thankful to be a part of it.

My children, and that I don’t work at PN.

2. What is one thing you are thankful for and why? Good and trustworthy friends.

I am thankful for my family. They help me through all aspects of life.

That I don’t go to PN because PC is better.

3. Do you participate in a school club? If not, which one would you join? No, but I really want to join the Filmmaker’s Club when I have the chance!

No, but I would love to join the Outdoor Adventure Club if I had the time.

Probably the Outdoor Adventure Club with Mr. Badders because I know they have a lot of fun field trips.

I’m not a part of any clubs but I would want to join Knitting Club because I like sheep and mispronouncing the word crochet.

Do we have a Sarcasm Society Club yet? I would sponsor that.

4. Are you in the IB Diploma or planning to do it? Should people do the IB Diploma? I’m not planning on it. I think people should try to get the IB Diploma if they want to because it seems like such a huge accomplishment.

No, I was thinking about it but it is so much work. It is a great program so I recommend it to people who are willing to work very hard.

I’m not doing the IB Diploma, but I’m only taking one class short, which is history. I recommend that people do it if they want to.

No. The IB Diploma is unnecessary and literally enslaves students. It legitimately has no benefits, unless you consider stress beneficial.

In high school I always challenged myself. So if I had the chance, I would’ve.

I would say that I’m obsessed with some sports. I love watching basketball.

Average Joe, I don’t like sports but my family likes them and they’re alright, so I’ll watch them.

Have you seen my classroom? I am a little obsessed with soccer.

5. What is your sports fan stereotype? The fanatic.

I am a fanatic, maybe too much of a fanatic at some points.

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opinion

Nov. 16, 2018

Yes:

IB Diploma is beneficial

BY ASHNA MEHRA Editor-in-Chief The IB Diploma is one of the hardest challenges a high school student can take on other than getting out of bed in the morning. Although I’ve only been doing the IB Diploma for three months, it has already proven to be extremely intense. From memorizing every single part of a glucose molecule, to practicing your IOP hundreds of times, there is never a lack of work in the diploma. However, even with all that, I still believe that the IB Diploma is worth it. One reason why the diploma is helpful is because it gives you an edge over other students trying to get into the same

Is the

college. If a selective college sees one person who took a few hard classes, versus another who completed the entire diploma, they’re probably going to be more likely to accept the latter. Even if you get a B in an IB class, it is still weighted way more than a regular class is, so it will even out to be the same. I understand the diploma isn’t for everyone, but I just think it’s beneficial for people trying to get into really competitive colleges. If you don’t want to go to a selective university, then doing the diploma probably isn’t worth your time. Also doing the IB Diploma teaches you important skills, such as hard work and perseverance that you will use for the rest of your life. There are so many people who take easy classes in high school and then get to college and realize that college is really hard! If you take challenging courses ahead of time, then hopefully college won’t come as much of shock. Plus, if you get credit for IB classes then you can save a lot of money on college. While $100 may seem like a lot to take an IB test, the price is nothing compared to the thousands of dollars that you´ll be spending on college. Finally, the diploma teaches time management, intellectual thinking and independence. You will definitely have to learn to balance your time between all of your classes, your extracurricular activities, and having a social life. This may mean not going to every single event, but being a more well-rounded person in the end. IB also teaches you deeper-level thinking because not every answer will be right there in front of you – sometimes, you have

5 to learn to dig a little deeper to find things. Lastly, the diploma teaches you independance. There is no way that a teacher can teach every single thing in these fast-paced classes, so oftentimes IB students have to learn to teach themselves. But this skill proves to be extremely helpful in life because who knows what types of professors you’ll have in college: maybe they neglect to show up to class, or maybe they don’t even speak English! So, to all you freshman and sophomores who are on the edge of doing the diploma, I would definitely recommend giving it a try. Even though you’ll probably lose a lot of sleep and have a lot of mental breakdowns, it’s all worth it in the end.

COURTESY OF SBSCHOOL.ORG

the right choice?

No:

IB Diploma isn’t worth it

BY DAAREN BUKHARI Staff Writer It’s the start of a new year for sophomores and soon enough, time is going to fly by and they’re going to have to schedule for next year. Sure, it’s difficult to choose classes with so many options, but the biggest decision is whether or not to do the IB Diploma. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a good decision to do the IB Diploma. Don’t get me wrong; I definitely suggest that taking IB classes in general is a very good idea if people want the rigorous courses, but I don’t think it’s worth going for the diploma. I have two brothers who have been through the IB diploma program and I’ve heard from both that doing the IB diploma helped prepare them for college, but the diploma itself didn’t help them that much.

It’s certain that the diploma program did prepare them for colleges, but then again it was the classes that did that for them, not the diploma program itself. When I was going through the decision of doing the diploma program, I took a lot of thought into doing it. Through my research online, and personal opinions from people who did the program, it wasn’t worth it. There’s a reason why the IB diploma is so uncommon around the United States; it’s not really needed for most colleges. Unless a student is going to study abroad in college or is trying to get into a highly competitive college such as Yale or Harvard, I don’t see a reason why any student would need to do the diploma. It kind of just adds a bunch of unnecessary work. Like I said, I do consider that taking IB classes is a good idea, which is exactly what I do, but the diploma itself is not the best. Many of the classes can definitely teach you very good time management, challenge you to think in ways you haven’t, and much more. But then again, all that is coming from the classes itself, not the extra work of doing the diploma program. With choosing not to do the program you can save yourself from taking some required classes, such as three required HL classes and TOK, and it can open up a lot of opportunities to take the classes you’ve genuinely wanted to take. Our school offers a lot of different classes, and doing the diploma program limits the amount of freedom you’re supposed to have in high school. Besides, let's be honest, most people just want to do it for the giant fake metal around their neck they get during gradua-

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tion. Also, IB English leads many students away from doing the diploma program. But at the end of the day, you be you and do what you want to do. But in my opinion, along with the opinion of many others, the IB diploma just really isn’t worth it.

COURTESY OF SOLCUM SPORTS NETWORK

opinion

Nov 16, 2018

you should Rethink public embarassment Why try intermittent

BY R A NYA JA M A L Staff Writer When I’m at restaurants, I often find myself making poorly-humored jokes to the waiters. My dad apologizes to the waiter for my “inappropriate behavior,” and then proceeds to tell me how embarrassing I am. For someone like my dad who feels embarrassment, I can understand why that’s so humiliating, but for me, those types of feelings just don’t usually coincide within my head. The way I look at it is that a good majority of people that you run into in public probably won’t ever make an appearance in your life ever again. So what’s the point in even getting embarrassed in front of people you don’t know? I believe that being able to do whatever you want in public, without getting embarrassed, makes life a lot more fun.

Unless you want to live a boring life, there’s no reason to take everything so seriously. Yeah, maybe your friend made a fool of you in front of that cute guy at the grocery store, but does he even know your name? Did he make eye contact with you? Are you going to marry him? Probably not, so what’s the point in getting humiliated over nothing? Spoiler: there is no point. If you often find yourself embarrassed, it won’t be easy to get to the point of not caring, but through constantly stepping outside of your comfort zone in every public place you step foot, you will get there. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll do something totally epic in public, that you may find embarrassing and someone captures it on video, and next thing you know it, you’re on The Ellen Show! Living a life full of comfort will never benefit your personal development, and when we’re at home, we’re inside our comfort zone. When we’re out in public, we have the option to step outside of it and have a little fun. So why don’t you? We spend so much time out in public that going to the store or getting coffee can become routine and boring, so make something fun out of it, even if you feel a little embarrassed. Eventually, ithe embarassment will subside. The harsh truth is that we are all going to end up in the ground. It could be tomorrow, so you may as well make today one to remember.

Senior class misses out on many activities BY BRYAN CASSEM Editor-in-Chief Senior year is the one year of high school that everyone diligently waits for as the years pass by. It is meant to be the most exciting and carefree year of high school, as we take part in the old Mustang traditions before departing for college and other places. This year, however, the senior class has been unable to take part in certain traditions that have continued for decades, which, to be entirely honest, is a bit of a bummer. Most of this is due to the construction at McCamley Field, as it is unwise to use an active construction site for our senior class picture or for the beloved Rideout ceremony. Instead, we took the class picture in the gymnasium, which was most likely the next best option we had. The class of 2019 will be the first and likely only class at Portage Central whose class

picture was not captured at the cherished McCamley Field. While this makes us unique, it is also slightly sad that we are not able to carry on these traditions at our legendary home field. Due to the maintenance at McCamley, we also have to share Portage Northern’s home field (as they had to do with ours for several years), and while the field is brand new and nice, it feels strange standing in the senior section of the bleachers at the home field of one of our sports rivals. Furthermore, the class of 2019 is now the only class at Portage Central whose members do not have their own Chromebooks. To a lot of us, I think, it’s fine that we did not receive Chromebooks from the school district, but it is upsetting that we just barely missed the cutoff. Of course, no matter what, being a senior is a special experience despite the changes our class has undergone or must undergo. I truly do not mean to sound ungrateful on behalf of my class for everything Portage Central and the Portage Public Schools System is doing in order to accomodate for these complicated construction plans among other changes. However, it seems to me that a majority of seniors are caught off guard by this because the

idea they envisioned for their senior year does not correlate with reality. Despite this, I think we have to be able to adapt to unexpected changes despite our preconceived expectations of what the future looks like because this is undoubtedly a part of life.

ASHNA MEHRA/STAMPEDE

Senior Lucas Townsend looks enviously at freshman Amelia Nickel’s Chromebook.

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fasting

BY ETH AN LEE Opinion Editor I’m no Gandhi, and I didn’t start a new religion or reach a divine revelation from enlightenment. However, I have recently become a huge advocate of intermittent fasting, which is an eating pattern where people abstain from food for a period of time, and then eat at different periods. People can also eat whatever they want because it’s just the time that is regulated. I first heard about it while I was browsing CNN’s website—the title of “Is fasting the fountain of youth?” caught my eye instantly. The article referred to a couple that claimed to be at a healthier weight, more alert and energetic, and less susceptible to disease and stress—and it included plenty of tentative research studies that seemingly back up the results of these two. Among these was a study conducted only two months ago by the National Institute of Aging, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and others which suggests that intermittent fasting can reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer and increase the lifespan of mice. But mice aren’t humans right? However, a research study published about a year ago also corroborates this account in people and concluded that intermittent fasting can diminish warning signs of heart disease and different forms of cancers while losing fat, preserving lean muscle mass and even possibly letting you live longer. For me, a diet where I could still eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted would be the Holy Grail. I thought that all those ancient hunter-gatherers and primitive humans did this, and they were supposedly able to run at least 30 mph. I also hoped to lose a little weight while still retaining muscle so I could shave a few seconds off from any kind of running. So is it effective or not? To find out, I started doing a hardcore version; I chose to consume nothing but water for 24 straight hours—meaning I ate at 6 p.m. and wouldn’t eat anything until the next day at the same time. After getting home, I didn’t even feel hungry. I probably could have gone two whole days without a meal. This trend would continue for the next week. In conclusion, I started at 182 pounds, and I went down to 177 on the first day. After a week, I was at 172, while still eating big. So now, I join the ranks of Ben Affleck and Beyoncé who swear by this dieting style. It’s simply great to just starve yourself. Just one thing: working out while not eating is not a good idea. But besides that, give this a try if you’re serious about it.

student life

Nov. 16, 2018

Behind the scenes of school drug dogs BY DAAREN BUKHARI Staff Writer We’ve all seen the cute little dogs that come to our school, specifically the drug dogs. For some, it can be a daunting day. However, for most of the school, it’s just another day that goes by, except with an adorable dog roaming around. What most students don’t know is that no matter how cute these dogs are, there’s a lot of background and interesting facts about these dogs. The four main dogs that come to our school are named Boots, Zeus, Dash and Sydney. Each have their adorable little faces that many of us have seen. Not only do they share adorable faces, but they all share the same routine of training they all received. “Dogs are chosen by evaluation of how focused they will play fetch and hunt up a toy in a chaotic environment like a pet store,” Kim Heys, President of Interquest Detection Canines of Michigan, said. Unfortunately, not all the dogs in the world can be chosen to do service, such as assist a blind person, or sniff illegal substances. Some dogs are left to be as friendly pets, whereas some dogs help the world become a better place.

The company usually chooses golden retrievers, labs, and other hunting breeds that love to play fetch to become a service dog. “Probably one out of 100 labs has the right traits and drives to make them a good candidate to train,” Heys said. Just like the dogs that come to our school, each dog goes through a same type of training experience. “They are trained using a scented towel that they play fetch with,” Heys said. “Then the towel is thrown into boxes, tall grass, etc; areas where they have to use their nose to find the toy based on the smell of it.” The process at first seems quite difficult on how dogs are trained to sniff illegal substances, but it really isn’t complicated at all. The fetch game practically teaches them to associate different kinds of smells and try to venture their way to get to that scent, which in turn is their toy during the game. Over time, these amazing dogs are eventually ready to sniff all sorts of contraband substances, such as illicit drugs, beverage alcohol, gunpowder based items, prescription medications and some over the counter medications that have a potential for abuse. Unfortunately, with such a gigantic epidemic in schools over the use of vape products, the

STORY

drug dogs aren’t taught to smell nicotine, as it’s not a prohibited substance. “And because our dogs noses are so sensitive,” Heys said. “We would be overwhelmed with alerts from students who are around second hand smoke, so we don’t teach them to smell nicotine.” With such a long and interesting process of the training that goes toward drug dogs, the amount of success that the company has received is quite significant. “Our four canine teams had 129 illicit drug finds in the 2017-2018 school year at Michigan schools,” Heys said. The dogs are almost always busy with their service days coming in and out of schools, but where do they actually go when they’re not sniffing for drugs? Each dog resides with its handler and is happily a part of their family, just like any other pet dog would. Each dog has their daily service they go through, but many of these dogs also have just a regular life. In fact, two of our drug dogs that come to this school, Zeus and Sydney, gave birth to nine puppies. So next time you see these adorable doggies around the school, make sure you consider the amount of work that’s put in for these dogs. Just make sure you don’t pet them!

KIM HEYS/INTERQUEST DETECTION CANINES

Meet our new foreign exchange students BY CAROLINE MAIER Staff Writer

Marta Gonzalez -Spain-

Maurice Heilmann -Germany-

Bo Deen -Netherlands-

Amos Pentikaine -Finland-

Marta Gonzalez is from Spain, and she came to the United States so she could live like an American girl. Gonzalez says that one of the biggest differences from the United States and Spain is the food. Even though it is different than her home country Gonzalez still likes her time in America. “I like the way of life,” Gonzalez says. “Americans are friendly people, and they speak a lot with each other.”

Maurice Heilmann is from Germany and came to the United States because he won a scholarship. Heilmann says that Germany and the United States are very similar but very different in many ways. But his favorite part about the United States is how relaxed we are. “I like how open society is, and how easy it is to start a conversation,” Heilmann said. “I also like how you have refills in all your restaurants.”

Bo Deen is from the Netherlands and wanted to become a foreign exchange student because she couldn’t decide what to do after high school and thought moving to America was the best choice. “I didn’t know what to do after high school in the Netherlands because I already graduated over there,” Deen said. “The second thing is I wanted to know what it was like to live the real American life, so then I decided to come here.”

Amos Pentikainen is from Finland where he says is a lot colder than it is here in the United States, but that isn’t the only difference. While Pentikaine decided to come to America because it was a dream of his for a long time, he notices a lot of differences than his home country. “Mostly the school, is completely different,” Pentikainen said. “Also the people are a lot nicer here than Finland I would say.”

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student life

Nov. 16, 2018

The face behind the number

What it feels like to get a 1600 on your first SAT BY ASHNA MEHRA Editor-in-Chief

DAAREN BUKHARI /STAMPEDE

1600. These four numbers are ones that every high schooler dreams about. For many, getting a 1600 on your SAT is nearly impossible – in fact, only about 0.01 percent of people in the entire country get a perfect score. But to junior Julia Strauss, a 1600 is as much a dream as it is a reality. Strauss took the SAT on Aug. 25, and earned a perfect score on her first try. However, this first test was only supposed to be a “baseline” test to see where she was at. “I definitely wasn’t expecting to get a 1600,” Strauss said. “My ultimate goal was over a 1500 and I thought it would take at least a couple tries to achieve this.” When Strauss saw her score, she was in complete shock. She could not fully process the accomplishment that she had just achieved. “The morning that the scores were released, my dad looked at the College Board website and saw a score of 1450,” Strauss said. “However, we later found out that this was actually

my PSAT score from the spring of last year. Later on, we logged back in and it showed a 1600. My dad didn’t think it was real and literally said ‘this has to be a mistake.’ I thought it might just be the College Board giving an example of what the score breakdown would look like, but I soon found out that the score was actually real.” Strauss believes that although natural talent may have played a role in her score, the primary component was hard work. She says that without hard work, she would have definitely not gotten to the point where she did. “I studied almost all summer, meeting with a tutor once a week for an hour and doing practice on my own four to five times a week,” Strauss said. “I also took a few full length practice tests at home to get a feel for the timing, which definitely helped.” For people who are hoping to excel on the SAT, Strauss recommends to put time aside to really focus on the test. Whether it’s taking out a summer to spend on the SAT, or practicing a little bit every day, Strauss believes that practice is key to a good score. “I would recommend doing tests

out of the official “College Board SAT Prep Book.” They have a ton of full length SATs so you can do timed tests at home or if you don’t have a lot of time you can just do individual passages or sections,” Strauss said. “Also, learning how to manage time is really important to finishing the sections without leaving any questions unanswered.” Although Strauss may have gotten a perfect score on her SAT, she is just a normal high schooler like the rest of us. She runs cross country, is in National Honors Society, teaches at her Sunday school and hangs out with her friends. She doesn’t believe that one test score should define who you are. “There are many students who can be really smart and highly capable, but just not be the best at taking standardized tests,” Strauss said. “Colleges should focus more on grades and what classes you are taking because I think those reflect what kind of student you are better than a standardized test.” At the end of the day, Strauss has one motto: “the more hard work you put in, the better you will do.”

Junior Julia Strauss studies for the SAT in the school library with a practice test book

Oops, I think I just crashed...again! BY RANYA JAMAL Staff Writer On the second day of having my license, I crashed my car in the student parking lot. It was very embarrassing and I wouldn’t say anything good came out of it. I now find the humor in it and share laughs with those that have always found that humor in my tragedy. I knew I wasn’t the only one that this has happened to, so I went on a voyage to find others who can relate. Kyle Toutanji crashed his car in the student parking lot, similar to me, but on the first day of school. “I told my friend I’m gonna back park. I haven’t backed into a parking spot since my road test. I began to back into the spot, but I was going kind of fast, so I tried to slam on the brake, but I accidentally slammed the gas instead.” He said he totalled the other car, and messed his up too. However the worst part was that his parents were extremely mad and he hasn’t talked to his mom about it since. Ben Kahmark said he made another silly mistake, after only two weeks of having his license.

“I was making a left turn, and accidentally made it too sharp,” Kahmark said. “I ran into the car head on that was in the left turn lane of the road that I was trying to turn into.” Kahmark said that the worst part wasn’t how his parents reacted, but it was actually how the man in the car he crashed into reacted. He totalled the man’s 2018 volkswagen. English teacher, Cheryl Braford had a bit of a different experience. She said he was driving the speed limit down Westnedge, and it was only moments before a little Dachshund ran out in front of her car. “I didn’t have enough time to brake. It was too late when I realized it was under my car. I began crying hysterically, the mom came out crying hysterically and then this kid came out of the house, and said, “Hey, don’t you teach at my school?”” She said the worst part was that she accidentally killed someone’s animal. You may think you’re the best driver in the world, but accidents happen. From my accident and the accidents of others, I would advise you to always be extra cautious while driving because you never know what could happen.

CAROLINE MAIER/STAMPEDE

Juniors Kyle Toutanji, Ranya Jamal and Ben Kahmark stand in front of their car with tickets and their personal stories of crashing into other drivers on the road.

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student life

Nov. 16, 2018

Three lucky guys and one single Ranya LAUREN MCCOLLEY/STAMPEDE

COURTESY OF/CLKER

COURTESY OF/GETDRAWINGS.COM

RANYA JAMAL Staff Writer

Person #1:

Person #2:

Person #3:

Conclusion:

We all hear about blind dates in movies and TV shows. They are always funny and memorable. The thing is, it seems as though they never happen in real life. I thought that going on a blind date would be a great opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone, so I took it upon myself to go on three blind dates to see what they’re all about and share my experience.

This date started out super weird. His first remark wasn’t “how are you?”, or “how was your day?” it was “Hey.. uh.. I think you’re really cute.” I mean, I appreciate the compliment but personally, that’s not how I would start a blind date. He talked about himself a lot and seemed to be very self absorbed. I mean there’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you’re into, but personally not for me. When the date ended, I was relieved.

We went to Chick-Fil-A, so there’s really no going wrong. It turned out that we knew a lot of the same people so we basically just talked about them the whole time, but not in a bad way. It’s what most of our conversation revolved around. He was pretty mellow and actually let me talk. We shared a lot of the same opinions and had the same taste in music. He didn’t awkwardly compliment me or do anything awkward at all. I guess it went well.

We colored. We colored pictures of Nicki Minaj and Dwayne Johnson. This sparked a lot of conversation and laughter immediately. He loved Nicki Minaj so much that it made me laugh. I found out he was gay, which also sparked more conversation and laughter. We clicked instantly and it didn’t seem like I was just going on a date with him for the newspaper. I didn’t say much because I was laughing the whole time. I could definitely see myself hanging out with him.

If I were to go on another date, it would definitely be with Person #3. He was fun, conversational, and funny. From my experience, I would say that if you’re going to go on a blind date, just expect the unexpected. You could end up with someone totally great, or totally weird. For me, my results were perfect because I’m not looking for a man, I just wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and have a little fun.

Students reduce, reuse and recycle at Portage Central LAUREN MCCOLLEY News Editor Every Tuesday, a group of students meet in English Teacher Ms. Phipps’ room to change the world one recyclable item at a time. The blue and green bins in our classrooms are there to make the world a better place. You do not have to join the Recycling Club in order to do this, but if you enjoy making new friends while cleaning up the environment then you might as well do so! Junior Maddie Lucht says the Recycling Club has been donating their returnables this year and will donate the money to a charity. Anyone can join and is encouraged to do so because according to Lucht, students should help our environment even if it’s a small contribution. “I enjoy Recycling Club because it’s a fun way to help out the school and our community,” Lucht said. “I get to meet new people and sort recyclables with my friends.” Phipps says that a regular meeting includes the actual recycling. Students come in and sign

up for a location and the type of recycling they are responsible for gathering. The students then spread out throughout the building ensuring to hit different offices and rooms. Once all recycling is gathered, it is taken to the recycling bins. “We have to save the earth,” Phipps said. “We all have to live here and we accumulate so much stuff during our day that there is no point in throwing out your water bottle. Recycle it.” Co-President Carolina Teixeira says the Recycling Club is a really good way good way to help the environment because it is simple and easy. Students can also receive a lot of community service hours for participating. “You do not have to come to every meeting if you are in the club,” Teixeira said. “The majority of people come as regularly as possible.” Teixeira says there are about 40 people on the sign up sheet right now, including students in the National Honors Society. Help build the list of dedicated members by signing up for the Recycling Club today. Meetings take place every Tuesday after school in room 2122.

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entertainment

Nov. 16, 2018

What are you most thankful for? Students and staff share what they are thankful for in their everyday lives. BY LAUREN McCOLLEY News Editor

Senior Jason Erhardt

Freshman: Grace Stephan “I’m really thankful for dancing because it’s helped me a lot and helped me make a lot of new friends. I am very thankful for my friends also because they really help me get through middle school and high school. I am also thankful for my family because they provide me with a lot.”

Junior: Sydney June “I’m thankful that I’ve grown up in a country where I have so many privileges and that I have the opportunity to do whatever I want. I think that is really rare in the world. There are so many people out there who want to be a doctor or want to be a musician and they won’t have the opportunities. Whereas here in America, you can literally do whatever you want. I am also thankful for my mom because she is super sweet and she helps me through all my problems. She is just a wise woman in general, I am really lucky to have her as my mom.”

Sophomore: Ben Skurski “I’m thankful for my friends and family and for the opportunities that I have been given such as getting to go to KAMSC.”

“I am thankful for my friends, my family, and all of my loved ones. Also, for having food on the table every night, the clothes on my back and a car to drive.”

Ms. Fry “I am thankful for my life and all of the love and positivity that Portage Central brings.” CORTESY OF WORLDARTSME.COM

Celebrating different Thanksgiving traditions “Typically my extended family goes to my grandparents’ house; they are in their 90’s,” Grand said. “We all gather around for Thanksgiving, make a bunch of food, and hang out. My favorite part of Thanksgiving is definitely the food, pumpkin pie, turkey and stuffing!” Junior Farah Ghazal appreciates the time she gets to spend with her older siblings in college during Thanksgiving break. “Usually all of my siblings come home from college and my mom makes a very big Thanksgiving meal which we all help her with all day,” Ghazal said. “Then we all sit down at the table and all say what we are thankful for, then we dig in. There is so much food and it is super good.” Freshman Jacob Misejka said that he has a great time with family and friends during Thanksgiving. “We have dinner with family and then we just celebrate,” Misejka said. “[My favorite parts of Thanksgiving are] the food and the family.” Students and teachers all over the school cherish their Thanksgiving time with family and friends, and of course the amazing food.

BY MAGGIE FARRELL Staff Writer Thanksgiving is a time where Americans of all different backgrounds celebrate what they have to be thankful for. With these traditions, many people have unique ways of celebrating them. Sophomore Alex Conway said that his favorite part of Thanksgiving is the time that he spends on the break. He said that he loves the relaxing feel of spending time with his family. “I go to my family’s house and I eat lots of food with them,” Conway said. “We go to my Aunt Lisa’s house and say what we are thankful for.” Senior Megan Seeley said she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She said she enjoys going to her grandma’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. “This year we are going to my mom’s side of the family,” Seeley said. “We will probably also carve pumpkins.” History teacher Kayleen Grand said she really likes the time with her loved ones, as well as the delicious food Thanksgiving has to offer.

ILLUSTRATION BY KAORU MURAI

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entertainment

Nov. 16, 2018

Behind the scenes with rapper Kid Muni BY LIZ WILLIAMS Staff Writer Out of the stupendous number of students in our school with insane talents, sophomore Yidana Mumuni, also known as “Kid Muni,” has the unique talent of rapping. Mumuni obtained his spark for rapping in eighth grade. “Me and my friend Kevin Franks bought a little mic and we were just having fun and playing around,” Mumuni said. At the time it was just horse-play, until they met people who had access to real studios. Being inspired by other artists who started on SoundCloud, Mumuni saw this as an opportunity and decided to engage in it himself. “Seeing a ton of underground rappers coming up like Lil Mosey and others just inspired me to think that anyone can do it,” Mumuni said. After getting into recording, Mumuni began to produce his own

songs. Mumuni says that it takes him about four hours to make a track, including editing and the time for the beat. When it comes to lyrics, he naturally starts thinking of different things that compile until something comes out of it. “Maybe I’ll even be somewhere like a soccer game,” Mumuni said. “Randomly in the middle of the game I’ll start thinking of different lyrics and I’m like shoot when I’m done I’ve got to write that down.” Mumuni recently hit over 16,000 streams and counting on SoundCloud

“

At the end of the day it’s about doing what you love, and that’s why I rap.

with his new track “High Up” featuring Kevin Franks, also known as “Lil Franks.” This is a huge accomplishment for Mumuni and he’s proud to see that he is progressing. Mumuni mainly likes to collaborate with his close friend, Kevin Franks, because they have the same taste in music and relate to many of the same things. “It’s usually just whoever I feel like I connect with musically wise,” Mumuni said. The enjoyment of producing music and the support from all of his friends is what motivates Mumuni to continue rapping. “I’m always really excited to hop in the booth with my boys and look at the numbers too,” Mumuni said. Mumuni’s advice to other students who want to rap is to just go for it and be yourself. “It’s not about what other people think or how big you get. It’s just about having fun,” Mumuni said. “At the end of the day it’s about doing what you love, and that’s why I rap.”

” The top three underrated Disney movies Yidana Mumuni Rapper

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COURTESY OF YIDANA MUMUNI

Kid Muni’s captivating SoundCloud cover for his song “Don’t Need” hitting over 7,000 streams. “Don’t Need” is also known as one of Kid Muni’s first tracks.

COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM

COURTESY OF MOVIES.DISNEY.COM

BY ETHAN CAMPBELL Videographer “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” is a breathtaking science fiction adventure that never got the credit it deserved. The animated movie tells the story of Milo Thatch, a want to be explorer who is given the opportunity to go on a journey to find the lost city of Atlantis. Being on of Disney’s earliest science fiction films, it brought a new fresh layer to the franchise taking a break from the usual fantasy setting. The visuals and the art style used throughout the film also show that Disney is able to explore different genres and ideas, with the movie being drawn in a comic book style. “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” is a perfect example that Disney is capable of taking on serious projects.

Treasure Planet is a fantastic retelling of a classic with a twist. Released in 2002 the movie was pushing technological boundaries and storytelling in animation. “Treasure Planet” retells Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” through the main character, Jim Hawkins and his transition into maturity. The film uses an excellent well thought out mix of the the old style of the 1700s and the style of science fiction through the artstyle and characters. The film was created using a mix of hand drawn and CGI animations showing the world that Disney, yet again was still capable of innovation in the animation industry.

“The Great Mouse Detective” is a fantastically delicious Disney adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The film follows the story of Basil, a mouse detective, who takes upon a case against his old enemy Professor Ratigan. While this movie doesn't offer anything extraordinary visually, it’s still a classic that most forget about. The lighthearted, yet intense storyline makes for a nice mix of action and adventure that is sure to please any watcher no matter the age. “The Great Mouse Detective” is a solid film that is completely underrated.

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entertainment

Nov. 16, 2018

Reviews Stampede from the

New “Red Dead Redemption” causes obsession After eight painstaking years, Rockstar Games has released their second installment of “Red Dead Redemption,” and it was definitely worth the wait. “Red Dead Redemption 2” is without a doubt Rockstar Games’ greatest achievement to date. The main story line features 60 hours worth of laid back, wild west gameplay. Along with the breathtaking map, there are so many things to do, so many people to meet and so many places to explore. The game also is chock full of over 200 different animal species that you can hunt to cook for food or to harvest their pelts. The ability of the game to keep the player’s attention isn’t just because of the sheer size of the map or the length of the storyline, but it’s how alive the world feels. Everything is extremely detailed, from the dirt gathering on your horse as you ride it down to the physics of your character’s beard. “Red Dead Redemption 2” is more than any casual video game, the player ends up living the experience.

REVIEWED BY CARTER COLOSKY

Takeoff’s debut album fails to takeoff After a successful 2017 and 2018 for hip-hop’s most popular group Migos, the three members have decided to each make individual albums with Takeoff’s being the most recent release. Takeoff’s album released Nov. 2 titled “The Last Rocket.” Out of the three rappers, Offset and Quavo have much more appeal to pop culture to Takeoff. Unfortunately, this album was an absolute flop. Takeoff showed potential, but almost all of the tracks were letdowns. The hooks were weak, and this makes none of the songs memorable. It felt like he did not have enough tools to do much on his own. Even though Takeoff’s flow was impeccable throughout it, there was little to no versatility. Despite the songs seeming repetitive, the album stuck to an interesting space theme and some fans appreciated that. It just felt like something was missing through the entire listen. Ultimately, it seems the Migos are better off together as a trio.

KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE

Lil Dicky, pictured above, is an American comedic rapper. He solidified his presence in the music industry from the video sharing platform YouTube. Lil Dicky is best known for his tracks of his album “Professional Rapper”.

Paige’s Peculiar Picks Lil Dicky makes waves with comedic hip-hop

REVIEWED BY ZACH BUMGARNER

“Bohemian Rhapsody” meets expectaions “Bohemian Rhapsody” follows the same formula as a standard biopic without giving much more. The story of the late lead singer of the rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury, is told throughout the movie. It ends up being a solid take with a some really well-done scenes that capture the intense energy of the band and Freddie himself. The film’s beginning is very entertaining showing the start of Mercury’s career with Queen and their unique style, but as the the movie progresses further into its long runtime it dulls out a bit. Rami Malek brings a surprisingly good performance of Freddie Mercury, showing the singers struggles and addictions throughout his musical career. “Bohemian Rhapsody”s worst flaw is the fact that the film takes some big liberties in order to make the movie seem more entertaining, such as the band breaking up, which never happened. Even though the movie has its fair share of flaws, it succeeds in being a solid biopic.

REVIEWED BY ETHAN CAMPBELL

Ratings Key terrible bad

average good incredible

BY PAIGE BERRY Entertainment Editor In 2011, David Andrew Burd rebranded himself and created his stage name Lil Dicky, following his dreams of becoming an American comedic rapper. Lil Dicky first became recognized for his track “Ex-Boyfriend,” and 24 hours after the tracks release on YouTube, it was viewed over one million times. This success led Lil Dicky to further his career and continuing to release his comedic rap. Lil Dicky released his first album titled “So Hard” that included the track “Ex-Boyfriend” and 16 other tracks in May of 2013. Then in 2015, Lil Dicky released another album titled “Professional Rapper” which sports 20 tracks. Some of Lil Dicky’s most popular tracks stem from his 2015 album. “Professional Rapper” featuring Snoop Dogg is where Lil Dicky and Snoop go back and forth about Lil Dicky actually following his dreams of becoming a “funny type rapper.” Other songs that are well-known tracks from Lil Dicky are “Molly” featuring Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco, “Freaky Friday” featuring Chris Brown and “$ave Dat Money” featuring Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan. Along with his hilarious music, Lil Dicky

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turns out funny music videos to accompany his songs and features. Dicky’s song “Freaky Friday”, featuring Chris Brown, begins with Lil Dicky in a Chinese restaurant wishing he was recognizable and respected like Chris Brown in the hip-hop business, while Brown wishes he was invisible. The next morning, they switch bodies, and mayhem ensues. Another funny music video that is worth the view is “$ave Dat Money” due to the fact that Lil Dicky is a sellout. The entire premise of the video revolves around saving as much money as possible. Whether Lil Dicky is in a random mansion, a yacht or a nightclub in one of T-Pain’s music videos, “$ave Dat Money” will prompt laughter and a sense of accomplishment for Lil Dicky for talking his way into using all those luxurious locations for his video. Lil Dicky is an explicit yet hilarious rapper that deserves more recognition for his work. He continues to make millions laugh on Spotify, Youtube, Apple Music and Pandora, expanding his fanbase every day. Before dismissing Lil Dicky for his eclectic style of music, give a few songs a listen and see if you can keep a straight face through a few of them.

sports

Nov. 16, 2018

Dance team entertains Mustang fans

COURTESY OF WHITNEY ZHANG

The dance team faces away from the home crowd, preparing to start their routine in front of hundreds of fans.

BY BRIDGET DOYLE Student Life Editor Everyone is lined up on the field, they wait for the beat to drop and then strike a pose. The high school dance team is filled to the brim with talented and hardworking students many of which have been dancing for a long time. The dance team is coached by Spanish Teacher Janice Mazei. Mazei has been coaching the team for nine years and continues to do so. “The original captain, Micaela Reid, begged me to be the adviser as no one else would do it,” Mazei said. “I reluctantly agreed. I’m very proud of the talent and hard work of the Dance Team.” The dance team is a place for many dancers to get to meet others in the school. Sophomore Audrey Bench says how being on the team has helped with her move into PC as her new school.

“I joined the team because I’m new to Portage Central this year and wanted to get involved while also meeting new friends that love dance as much as I do,” Bench said. “Being part of the team means that I have the opportunity to show my school spirit to the audience with

“

I’m very proud of the talent and hard work of the Dance Team.

Sra. Mazei Spanish Teacher/Coach

”

the other dancers, who have become some of my best friends.” The practice schedule for the dance team is

very different than most sports teams. Their season is built around the events they dance at. “Football season is a bit more relaxed so we have a couple days in summer where we all get together for four-five hours and learn the dance,” Co-Captain Whitney Zhang said. “Then we have weekly practices on Fridays for about one hour. Basketball is more time consuming because we learn two dances rather than one so in the past we have done two weekly practices with a couple more four to five hour days.” On top of all the practices, many of the dancers are in dance outside of school. They train and condition with their clubs as well as work hard to perform for our school. Their clubs are groups that they perform and compete with after school. The team also performs at several school sports events. “The team performs at some varsity football games and the pep/homecoming assemblies,”

Bench said. “When basketball season starts, we will also perform at [women’s and men’s] varsity basketball games.” While the team currently does not participate in any competitions for school, Zhang said they were planning on maybe sending a group to a competition. Co-Captain Mackenzie Ginter loves her position on the team and says how much it means to her to be a part of it all. “I love getting to see how dancers from different studios and training backgrounds come together,” Ginter says. “It is so much fun to see everyone’s growth from the beginning to the end of the year and to see how our routines progress.” Despite the busy schedule for the dancers on the team, they always make time to hang out together by hosting sleepovers. The love for dance and the time spent together really builds strong, long lasting bonds between the teammates.

Basketball team hopes to improve from last season After losing in the district championship last season, the men’s basketball team has high hopes BY LAUREN MCCOLLEY News Editor As the basketball season creeps closer, players are getting more excited for the upcoming season and reflect on last year’s season as well to provide for a stronger one this year. “Last year we started off the season 7-3 so we had a hot start, but then we kind of slowed down and started losing a couple of games, so I think we can do better this year if we just focus more on basketball instead of other stuff,” Senior Griffin Baker said. Hunter Young is junior who played on the JV team last season. “For the JV season, we had a pretty good year. We had a winning record and all that. The

team has really good chemistry because we have all played with each other for a while and we are all good friends,” Young said. Young says JV Coach Casey Higginson is both a coach and a friend at the same time, so that is what pushes the team to do well during the season. “It is my senior year so I think it is going to be a fun time, but I just want to see how many games we can win,” Baker said. “This year I am excited about everything, the experience of varsity and playing against Northern in the pink out game,” Young said. The next varsity game is scheduled to be at Portage Central High School on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. Last year’s team huddles during a home game.

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sports

Nov. 16, 2018

Stereotypes of the fans in the stands Describing the common perceptions of different kinds of observers at sports outings BY JACK JUDAY Sports Editor I have spent many years around sports. Whether I am watching or playing, I have learned that not every fan is exactly the same. As an avid sports fan, I have seen and heard some interesting things, while also noticing the quiet bystanders. After a long study and some research, I have come up with the three main categories of sports fans all across the globe.

The Average Joe

KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE

This is the fan that enjoys sports but doesn’t truly care enough to become emotionally attached, while other people are left crying after a loss, The Average Joe continues on with his/ her day without a single tear shed. They realize that life doesn’t revolve around athletics but still find joy in a friendly competition. On average, most people reside in this category.

The Not-So Fan

KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE

This is the “fan” that believes all of the imbeciles of the sports world are wasting their time. These people live a more peaceful, stress-free life. They aren’t willing to give up the comfort of their homes to go see a game or match. Although many people would be confused by this way of life, the Not-So Fans are perfectly happy and proud of their opinions and aren’t afraid to show it. Probably the bravest category of all.

The FANatic

KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE

A die-hard fan, who will continue to cheer on their team no matter what. They rep the team’s gear at least three out of the five days during the week and talk about their team about 3 times a day. Another characteristic of a FANatic is that on gameday they do nothing but prepare, watch and discuss the contest. While most people would chill out and do other things before and after, the FANatic is zoned in on their teams success. Finally, the rival team is never to be spoken of highly, and will be destroyed every single season. It is a matter of life or death.

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In Conclusion...

KAORU MURAI/STAMPEDE

Although sports have become a very important part of life for many people, some of these fans fail to realize that there is a world outside of blood, sweat, and tears. If all of these groups would learn to respect the others’ ways of life then the world would be a better place, but the problem is adapting to loving one another. This is obviously an issue with today’s human race, considering politics, racism, sexism and many other issues. The lesson we can learn from sports is that not everything is as important as it may seem at first.

sports

Nov. 16, 2018

Boys soccer team attributes success to close bond BY MAGGIE FARRELL Staff Writer

The men’s varsity soccer team has had quite the season. With a 10-0 record during the regular season, they have been ranked second in the state. However the comradery of the team is really what makes them stand out. With all of these successes, varsity players attribute their fantastic season to the bond they share with one another. Both Senior Jason Mih and Junior Ben Sosville agree that the bond the team shares really helps with the team chemistry, which helps them ultimately on the field. “I think it’s just the friendships that we’ve made,” Mih said. “I think it helps on the field and off the field as well.” Having lost many big players last year, Sosville said it was an opportunity for others to step up to the plate and help lead the team to victory. “We lost a lot of defenders last year as seniors so our midfield had to step up a lot as far as goal scoring and things like that,” Sosville said. “Definitely our keepers, Kyle Toutanji and Devin Horn are very good.” The tight bond the team shares with one another helps build trust within each other. Mih described his senior season as being extremely fun with his teammates. “The soccer season has been super fun for me,” senior Jason Mih said. “I get to spend everyday with my brothers. Considering we are second in the state, it’s been a ride living up to

those expectations.” Mih also stated beating Northern twice, holding up their district championship and winning conference twice were some of his favorite PC soccer memories. “I might play soccer in college depending on which schools I get accepted to,” Mih said. “I have not really made my decision yet, but I’m definitely thinking about that.” The Mustangs are already looking ahead to next year and how they can create another spectacular season with each other as teammates and with themselves on the field. “I’m definitely looking forward to next year

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The friendships that we’ve made as a team have helped us so much on and off the field

Jason Mih Senior

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for the freshmen and upcoming sophomores that the coaches will pull up,” Sosville said. “There are so many good kids, and I’m definitely interested to see how far we will make it because we will be losing 12 seniors off of our team.”

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Senior Jason Mih sauces his opponent with some incredible footwork in another Mustang victory.

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