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the communicator

THE NEW VETERAN DEAN p. 26

Vol. 30, Edition 1 • November 2014

contents.

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homeless Ann Arbor’s homeless stuggle with the harshness of life on the streets and with finding job opportunities

18

habits Making and breaking habits is more simple than you may have expected

20

more apps, more problems For some students, social media is creating more problems than it is solving

26

the new veteran dean Marci Tuzinsky takes on her first year as Community’s Dean, but not her first year in the building

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28 community high fashion The new styles that adorn the halls of Community High

30 family first for dilla’s delights Detroit rapper J Dilla’s lasting legacy in the form of fresh donuts

36 eliza vs food Eliza Upton takes on the chili cheese dog challenge at Dairy Queen

50 chs digital photo

Photos shot by the Community High digital photography class

what we’re sayin’

Dear Readers,

Fall is undoubtedly a season of change. The back lawn will soon turn from green to barren brown, and students will rush from the door of their car to the door of the school, trying to keep snot from freezing in the process. As the leaves change and the temperature drops, we grab hold of our hot cider and snuggle up with a warm blanket. We here at the Communicator hope that you’ll also be snuggling up with this edition that we worked so painstakingly and tear-inducingly on.

This school year has brought not only changes outside our doors, but inside as well. In August, our school was assigned a new Dean, Marci Tuzinsky, a familiar and beloved face at Community High (p.26). Along with a new Dean, CHS was lucky enough to be graced with a few new educators as well, including math teacher Maneesha Mankad (p. 21) and english teacher Matt Johnson (p. 22). Old teachers are still just as cherished as the new teachers, including Latin teacher Jason McKnight and his impressive beard (p. 35). We here at Community love and cherish our teachers. If you want to find out which teacher you are, feel free to take the quiz and find out (p.40).

At the Communicator we know that change can affect not only groups of people, but individuals as well. As we arrive upon the winter months, not everyone will be able to live comfortably. Some struggle with just the necessities, including a place to sleep at night (p.10).

With all these changes, we encourage you all to take chances this year: address your habits (p.18), be willing to read your work in class, talk to that special someone, go on that trip you’ve always wanted and finally order sushi from Teriyaki Time. You never know what’ll happen.

Sincerely, Your boss a$$ editors

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letter from the editors

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we’re ready now

THE COMMUNICATOR

advertise. andersont@aaps.k12.mi.us

Printing thanks to Edwards Brothers Malloy.

Editors-In-Chief

Kelly Arnold Madeline Halpert Eva Rosenfeld Marcelo Salas

Managing Editors Caroline Phillips Eliza Upton

Adviser

Tracy Anderson

Cover Art

Ada Banks

Staff Kelsey Albig Ada Banks Hannah Davis Dominic DiFranco Chase Dudley Emily Fishman Cameron Fortune Kathryn Garcia Alexandra Hobrecht Marie Jacobson Jack Kelley Josh Krauth-Harding Frances MacKercher Jeff Ohl

Emily Ojeda Eleanor Olson Isabel Ratner Hannah Rubenstein Sophia Simon Grace Stamos Katerina Stegemann Sophie Steinberg Hannah Tschirhart Kea Von Emden Devin Weeks Sophia Werthmann

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s up for thought sophia simon and hannah tschirhart

Zingerman’s tomato soup Price: $5.50 per bowl

Zingerman’s Deli sells about 16 bowls of delicious tomato soup every day. Savannah F, who has been working at Zingerman’s for the last 3 months, finds this soup to be quite tasty.

“I like [it] because I’m a vegetarian and it’s super creamy,” she said. “I don’t like when soups are kind of watery. I don’t want it to taste like tomato juice.” Every spoonful of the creamy tomato brings about an electrifying burst of flavor.

According to Communicator soup critics, the soup rated 9/10 for flavor and 3/10 for spice. A tangy aftertaste is a characteristic of this delightful dish.

Ingredients: Rich, creamy tomato soup with a healthy dose of garlic Community soup critics paired this soup with the season “Summer.”

Zingerman’s matzo ball soup Price: $3.99 per bowl

Want to be more active in the soup community? http://annarborsoup.weebly.com/

“I feel that my favorite soup is a chicken noodle because it is such a classic ‘sick’ food. Even if you aren’t sick, it makes you feel better. My personal recommendation for where to get soup would be Noodles and Company, suprisingly.”

-Elle Gallagher

“I’m a fan of soup. Clam chowder is honestly the best, even though it’s technically not a soup.

Noodles and Company is quality. I’d say go there for soup.”

-Gabe Kardia

“Max and Erma’s makes a really nice chicken tortilla soup, and so does Chili’s. Zoup! has lots of different, really good soups. Monohan’s has a really nice New England clam chowder. But if I was looking for some really good soup, I’d go to the DiFranco’s for some Italian wedding soup.”

-Nick Middleton

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Zingerman’s Matzo Ball soup is also popular. Community soup critics think that due to Zingerman’s own chicken broth and dough balls, it is a delicious meal to have in the spring time.

“The doughy ball in the middle has a really nice taste to it, especially when it soaks up the broth.” said Zingerman’s employee Victoria M. This soup is particularly great for those who like a thin broth. According to community soup critics, this traditional Jewish soup rates a 6.5/10 for flavor and a 0/10 on the spice scale, as it is a relatively mild and calm soup.

Ingredients: matzo meal, fresh eggs, amish chicken, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, simmered for 8 hours. (See image below) Community soup critics paired this soup with the season “Spring”

jack kelley cameron fortune charlie kotila photo

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athy Sample and Bill Brinkerhoff’s dream of creating a year round farmers market in Ann Arbor came true on August 16, 2014. The downtown Ann Arbor Farmers Market is hard to access for some people due to its limited hours, and can’t attract as many customers later in the year due to the cold winter weather. The market’s selective availability inspired Sample and Brinkerhoff to open the Argus Farm Stop, an easy-to-access indoor farmers market, located on the corner of Second St. and Liberty.

A lot of thought was put into naming the store. Its title comes from the famous Argus Camera Company. Even the word “Stop” in the store’s name was carefully chosen.

“It’s not a farm stand, because you think of a farm stand as a small thing on the side of the road,” said Sample, one of the cofounders. “A farm stop is more permanent.”

The main goal of the Argus Farm Stop is to create a year-round market where local farmers can sell their goods. It has also opened up new opportunities for farmers who are unable to get a spot in the Ann Arbor Farmers Market to sell their produce.

About 80 percent of sale profits go to the farmers with only 20 percent actually going to the farm stop, providing the farmers with a consistent and efficient way of selling their produce.

Since the Argus Farm Stop only takes a 20 percent commission for the meat and produce they sell, the Farm Stop also supports itself through a small coffee shop at the front of the store. It sells fresh coffee and baked goods delivered around the clock by local bakers. An outdoor patio decorated

by bushels of flowers is offered as seating, since there is little space to lounge inside.

Unlike traditional markets, the Argus Farm

Bill Brinkerhoff , a co-founder of The Argus Farm Stop working the register Stop sells a variety of produce. Since all the farmers are local, the store’s stock of items is always changing.

“Farmers bring in what they have,” said Sample. “For example, a local farmer might not have steak to bring in this week, but when a supermarket calls a 1(800) number, a commercial service will just deliver the steak. Everything just shows up.”

This is one of the challenges of running a shop where everything is produced local-

ly. Customers can’t go into the store with a specific dinner plan in mind. They decide on the meal after seeing what the store has to offer, or buy portions to supplement the meal.

One of the goals of the Farm Stop is to provide shoppers with quick and easy access to fresh meat and produce.

“There’s often not enough parking [downtown] for customers and farmers,” said Sample. Some customers have trouble going to the downtown market because they are simply too busy when it is open. Sarah Dewitt, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market Manager shops at the Argus Farm Stop because she’s too busy on Wednesdays and Saturdays to shop at the downtown market.

The Argus Farm Stop eventually hopes to play a larger role in getting communities to build organic produce into the everyday lives of their residents, and not just in Ann Arbor.

“It’s small enough that it can be duplicated,” said Sample. “We would like to see other people interested in finding ways to get local farmers selling in a way that they can sustain their farms.”

ARGUS FARM STOP HOURS MON-FRI: 7AM-7PM SAT-SUN: 8AM-6PM th e com municator

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more than a survivor. after living through the holocaust, irene butter has been inspiring others to never be a bystander. isabel ratner

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irene butter photo eleanor olson art

he wakes up to the sweet smell of her grandfather’s pancakes on Sunday morning. Jumping out of bed and putting on the new dress her grandmother bought for her, she runs to the kitchen. She spends the day at the park with her grandparents and later at the zoo grinning up at the monkeys. On holidays, her cousins visit. It’s a comfortable life. But it’s soon shattered.

When the Nazis took over Berlin, Irene Butter’s life changed instantly. Her grandfather’s bank was taken from him since Jews couldn’t work in businesses. Butter’s family moved to Holland for safety. The first few years there were fine. Unfortunately, the Nazis invaded three years later.

“Persecution of Jews escalated,” said Butter, “and so from then on, life deteriorated.”

The family was sent to a camp called Westerbork in June of 1943. Butter describes the days there as boring. The kids had nothing to do. Every Monday night, barack leaders would list names of people who were to go on the train, many to Auschwitz. “[You] first listened for your own name [to be] read, and then if not, there were always people, family and friends or people you had befriended in the camp who would be leaving,” said Butter. “That was just heartbreaking.”

When the train arrived, people were ordered to clean up the wagons. They found notes informing them about Auschwitz and its horrific conditions.

Butter found a way to cope with the circumstances. She found joy in little things.

“There were some famous artists in the camps, and they put on shows, [which] made it quite contradictory.”

After 8 months in Westerbork, Butter and her family were sent to Bergen Belsen through an exchange program with the Nazis. They were told it was a better camp, and that they wouldn’t be there long.

Arriving at Bergen Belsen was a scene like no other. SS officers (Schutzstaffel, a paramilitary organization) with german shepherds met them and told them to walk through a forest to the camp.

“The minute we arrived there, we saw people in rags looking emaciated and like prisoners.”

It was January of 1945 when Butter had an encounter with Anne Frank. Butter was friends with a young girl, Hanneli, who knew Frank. Anne and her sister Margot had just come from Auschwitz, so Hanneli asked for someone to bring Anne to a fence separating them. Anne was in a terrible state, very thin with no clothes but a grey blanket.

In tears, Anne said her parents had died and her sister was quite sick. Anne asked Hanneli to bring her some clothes.

The following night, Butter accompanied Hanneli to the fence. This was the only time she saw Anne.

“We threw this bundle across the fence,” she said. “It was dark and another woman came, picked up the bundle and ran off with it.”

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In the early 1980s, Butter later reconnected with Hanneli in Israel for a Holocaust survivor gathering.

“She told me that after I had left, she met Anne once more and threw over some more clothes and then she got it. Yes, she did get it, but then she died not much later.”

Butter and her family were released from Bergen-Belsen in January of 1945 because of her father’s Ecuadorian passports. Of 4,000 people in the camp with these passports, only 301 were chosen for an exchange with German civilians. Butter describes this as a “miracle.”

This miracle was followed by a tragedy, when Butter’s father died on the train to Switzerland.

“My mother and my brother and I had to go on,” Butter said as she brushed away a tear from her eye.

When they arrived in Switzerland, her ailing mother and brother were taken to a hospital.

Butter had just turned 14 when she arrived at the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Association (UNRRA) camp in Algiers, North Africa. She remembers the beach that

you could see from the camp and the luxuries they had there: clothing, a decent supply of food, and clean sheets.

“In some ways it was like a paradise, but I was without my family.”

For those several months at the camp, Butter had no idea if her mother was alive.

She had no contact with her mother or her brother.

In the United States, cousins of Butter’s mother provided an affidavit for Butter, after seeing the Joint Distribution Committee’s list of camp survivors. An affidavit guaranteed that the relatives will care for Butter and that they have a solid bank account. Months later, Butter’s brother and mother arrived in New York City, and after three years they found an apartment together.

Butter graduated from Queens College and earned her PhD in economics at Duke University. She met her husband and started a career in public health, later teaching at the University of Michigan.

For years she has been educating the community not only about what happened

in World War II, but making them aware of genocide and that it should never occur again. She teaches students the importance of human rights and many freedoms. Earlier this year, a film was released about her, entitled Never a Bystander.

“I try to carry this message of never a bystander, and that we all have responsibility- social responsibility- to protect other people from discrimination, prejudice, oppression,” she said.

The students’ reactions are incredibly rewarding to Butter. “[She has] taught me about oppression and my role in it,” said another student.

Butter’s attitude towards her role as an activist today is what inspires so many people. “‘I will always try to not be a bystander,” said one of Butter’s student. “I want to be a rescuer.”

They say they will surely carry on her brave story of survival to their children and grandchildren.

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books that change lives. chs students reflect on literature that has impacted them.

1.

It has a fantastic plot, which is not something athat a lot of modern books really have.

I love the characters.

It’s easy to connect with them even if a couple of them are psychopaths.

-Kyle Radant

3.

It sounds really cliché, but it was read to me as a child. I grew up with the characters and all their adventures.

It was really enticing to me as a child and it engaged my attention. It shows how nobody’s perfect.

Even Dumbeldore has flaws.

-Sarah O’Connor 8

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2.

It takes place in an alternate world. There’s this place where people go if they become depressed. They get wiped clean of all their past experiences.

[The main character’s] boyfriend goes and she tries to get him to remember [past life experiences]. It was just a really cool concept. -Phoenix Patterson

4.

It’s a book of poetry and it’s just hilarious content. It’s just a good allaround read.

You just have to read it to understand how funny it is.

-Vincent Barlow

Sticking To Her Roots

NEWS C

Chloe Root was taken in by Community High School at a young age, and continues to find excitement and new adverntures in consistent surroundings devin weeks dominic difranco

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ommunity High School teacher Chloe Root has ventured through the good, the bad, and the ugly without moving an inch.

She’s gone through heartbreak, found love, and traveled to unimaginable heights just by staying at her beloved Community High School.

From the age of the 10, Root knew that she wanted to attend Community.

“Before the Community lottery system came into place, people waited in line for long periods of time, sometimes even overnight to register their children at the school.

Root admired these people’s dedication and enthusiasm.

The 1999 lottery was somewhat disappointing for Root. Only 100 lucky students were let into the school that year, and she was number 138.

“I took my first class at Community in 1999, and I didn’t get into Community through the lottery,” Root said. “I was number 38 on the waiting list.” After taking a semester at Ann Arbor Huron, she was welcomed with open arms, and Root finally settled into what would be her home for years to come.

Root excelled as a student at Community.

“It sets you up really well for college,” Root said. Root continued to improve her education at Brown University, where she majored in Gender Studies and US History.

Both of these subjects have become a huge part of Root’s teaching curriculum.

Eight years after leaving history teacher, Marion Evashevski’s classroom, Root returned to be her apprentice and transition from student to teacher.

“She was like ‘Do you want to student teach with me?’ and I was like, ‘Yes!’ but I didn’t want to come right out and ask that

because it seemed kind of rude,” said Root.

“Luckily, she figured that out.”

Community has done a good job of providing Root with the skills necessary for teaching.

“It is the hardest thing in the world.” she said. “You are learning to do all the things that teachers do and since you haven’t done it before, all the students are way scarier.”

Top Root in the 2002 Community Yearbook Above Root’s 2002 Senior Picture After finishing her student teaching in 2009, Root was brought into the Ann Arbor Public Schools system. There were classes available to teach at Community, but Root was put into a less familiar situation.

“I got a call a week before school started

telling me I was to be full time at Huron,” she said. “It felt like high school all over again.”

But she didn’t stay for long. 2011 would go down in history as the year that Chloe Root returned home for good. Root never dreamed of being a teacher as a child. Cameron Palmer, a sophomore at CHS thinks she was born for it.

“Chloe is just the greatest teacher,” he said. “She is so intuitive, and she connects with her students like no other. Most importantly she has fun doing her job. Not only has Root changed through her 15 years at Community, but Community itself has changed too. The traditions of Community are what Root savors most.

“The Community traditions I still enjoy a lot, so I’m glad that some of them haven’t changed,” she said.

Now, Root’s favorite aspect about being at Community is her forum. She feels like sometimes people are confused by her enthusiasm about forum, but she loves it so much it’s just hard for her to hold her excitement in.

There were many things that branched from Community to put Root where she is now. It is hard for her to think where she would be without this high school.

“There’s so many things in my life from Community that are great,” she said. “It’s one of those things that without it, I’d be so different. I wouldn’t have been as adventurous, I wouldn’t have met my husband, I might not have been a teacher, I might not be me.”

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homeless.

madeline halpert blue kirkpatricck photo

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anielle Chavez sits quietly on the cement near the corner of State and Liberty with nothing but a small jar in her hand. She does not speak, other than to say “good morning” to the occasional passerby. Her only request comes from a small cardboard sign, perched on a milk crate that sits next to her and reads “Seeking Human Kindness.”

“Go f*** yourself,” a young man yells at her as he runs by. Chavez still sits quietly and does not respond.

“People have a bad day and they feel like they should take it out on the homeless,” said Danielle.

Chavez is one of Ann Arbor’s 510 homeless people.

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Danielle and her husband Mat have been living in Ann Arbor for over a year now, after a series of unlucky housing and job situations. When Danielle and Mat first met, they moved to an apartment in Westland, Mich. with Danielle’s two children, Julia and Abigail.

“It had rained for an entire weekend, and our building flooded with sewage,” said Danielle. “We had to pack up everything and move from there.”

They then relocated to a duplex home in Dearborn Heights in an area with a high crime rate, but did not stay for long.

“The final straw was when there were gunshots in the neighborhood,” she said.

“It was before I got home from work, and my daughter was really scared. It was just too much. I said, ‘This is not healthy. This is not safe. We need to leave here.’”

They decided to head to Belleville to be closer to Danielle’s parents, where the van that Mat used to lay carpet broke down, and subsequently, his business of fifteen years plummeted.

Weeks of couchsurfing led the couple to a friend’s house in Taylor, who told the Chavezes of multiple opportunities in Ann Arbor. Mat and Danielle packed all of their belongings in a car, left the girls with reliable guardians, Danielle’s parents, and made the 40 minute journey to Ann Arbor.

They applied for multiple jobs in downtown Ann Arbor, along with a couple gas stations and a Meijer, to no avail, since they had no working cell phone for potential employers to reach them.

Mathew now busks (plays guitar for money) on the corner of North University and State St., while Danielle “spangings” (askes for spare change) for money across the street.

The hardest part about being homeless for the couple has nothing to do with making day-to-day ends meet, however. It was having to leave their children behind on their search for stability that hurt the most.

“I felt like someone had ripped my heart out,” said Danielle. “I just completely shut down.”

While Danielle’s parents have a stable income and suitable living situation, falling back on them is not an option for her.

“I don’t have a relationship with my parents at all,” she said. “Strangers will tell me, ‘Your mom loves you,’ and I know she doesn’t. She has told me she doesn’t. There are some people that don’t love their children, and she’s one of them.”

Staying at Mat’s mother’s house is not a suitable environment either. Danielle says this is because, although Mat’s mother loves him, in many ways she has not accepted him for who he really is: homeless.

With the additional problem of her mental health issues, this leaves the couple with nowhere to turn to for a place to stay.

How do they cope?

The Chavezes say the only way to survive on the streets is to focus on the day at hand.

“We had to realize, ‘What are we doing tonight?’ said Danielle. “‘How are we getting gas in our car?’ You can’t even think about tomorrow.”

This has made it difficult for them to search for permanent work. The irony of the situation is that, for them, trying to find a job, while already jobless, is near impossible.

“Where am I going to shower for the interview?” said Mat. “What address am I going to put on the application?”

Because of this lack of permanency, Danielle has found ways to adapt to her life on the streets with rules to follow.

“I try not to lie to people,” she said.

“There are a lot of people that lie out here, and I think that’s disrespectful. You’re asking people for help, and if you’re lying to them, you’re almost stealing from them. I have so many regulars that come by and help me out because of that.”

At night, they try and scrape together around $50 to stay at the Embassy Hotel on Huron St. They have stayed at nearly every motel room since their time in Ann Arbor. However, when they can’t come up with the money, they are forced to resort to other options: their tent on State Street.

“It’s uncomfortable,” said Mat. “It’s unsafe. I spend most of my night up watching the door. When it rains, the tent stays wet for two weeks and it smells like mildew.”

Since they have no residence, the tent is where they store their few possessions.

However, this has proven unsuitable, since another homeless man comes around from time to time to take what he wants. The Chavezes say he likes to do this with other tenters as well.

Despite the few who steal, the homeless people of Ann Arbor tend to look out for each other. Although it is unconventional, Danielle and Mat have found a support system.

“They’re kind of like a family,” she said.

“We don’t have TV or things like that, so we have to keep each other entertained.”

Danielle adds that, although this is helpful, there are many times where she wishes for a different kind of support.

“When I’m having a really bad day, I wish I could call my mom,” she said. “I don’t have that option.”

How does Ann Arbor help?

The city has several programs available to help the homeless, however the Chavezes have found these services to be inadequate. Danielle says Port (Project Outreach Team) is most helpful.

Port is run by the County of Washtenaw, and does anything from providing sleeping bags and tents to scheduling psychiatry appointments for the homeless.

She says that although this is one of Ann Arbor’s more useful services, their funds are incredibly limited.

“They have a set budget that they get at the beginning of the year,” said Danielle.

“Last year, because of the winter, they were out of money by January. They bought hotel rooms for people for a week and then ran out of money for the summer.”

Mat adds that 60 beds for over 500 homeless people provided by the Delonis Center is a start, but is not enough to make a dent in the growing issue of homelessness. He feels their strict policies can be unnecessary, and sometimes harsh.

“When we stay there, we’re not even allowed to hug each other,” said Mat. He adds that, even though there is reason for permitting people who have been drinking or who are drinking from entering the Delonis Center, it leaves them without a roof during the coldest time of year.

“Alcoholics are people too,” said Mat. “They don’t deserve to freeze to death outside. No one does.”

What can the city do better?

Danielle says that, in terms of what needs to be done for better services, the list goes on and on.

“There needs to be a better shelter, more beds, better rules and letting more people in [the shelters],” she said. “[The city] just doesn’t have a solution.”

There is work to be done by the people of Ann Arbor, as well. Danielle and Mat encourage passersby not to make assumptions about their reasons for homelessness.

“People will say to me, ‘Why don’t you get a job?’” said Mat. “And then they run away. I say, ‘Sure. Can I use your shower for the interview?’ They’ve never once had a good comeback. If people were willing to say those things to my face, then they’d realize that I have an actual answer.”

Even just the simple act of caring can make their day a little bit better.

“Treat everyone like human beings,” said Mat. “Homeless people are human beings too.”

Mat and Danielle try to remain hopeful for their future. They keep one goal in the back of their minds as they move forward: getting their children back. In the meantime, they’re just glad to have the support of someone else to get through the day.

“As long as we have each other, we’ll be okay,” said Mathew.

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CATHERINE NICOLI how is dualing as a freshman?

“At first, it was very difficult. You don’t really know what’s going on, especially as a freshman.

Now it’s much easier, since I’ve figured out a system. I do like getting two completely different experiences at two completely different schools. I think in the end it was what’s best for me.”

BRENNANEICHER what are your hobbies? “acting and cooking.” when did you become interested in acting? “ever since I was a little kid. I do plays every summer.”

humans of community hannah davis and emily fishman GABESALAS do you play any sports?

“I play basketball for Pioneer. It’s a nice group of pals. It’s a lot of fun, even though we’re not very good.”

SOPHIEHAVILAND How does it feel to be the lead of the school play?

“It feels great, and I was surprised when I got the part.

I am very happy and proud to have gotten this role.”

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ALLYEINHAUS

SABINAFALL

what is your favorite thing about community?

what is your biggest fear?

“I really, really like the teachers. I love Tracy and Liz because Liz is like my mother.”

“I really don’t like disappointing people.”

y

AVERYFARMER what do you love most?

“I love music a lot, all kinds of music. I like hip-hop, classical, jazz, rock, punk. I just love all kinds of music.

SEANMACLATCHY how are you liking freshman year so far?

AVERYPIERONEK

“It’s pretty hype. I like Community, the open campus, no dress code. It’s nice.”

what are you working on? “nothing at alll. I’m skyping my boyfriend.”

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artist profile: molly prochaska hannah rubenstein molly prochaska photo

What is the story behind [the photo above]?

Is there a certain type of art that you prefer?

This was actually at wedding. I didn’t really know the people, but it was out in the middle of nowhere. While all of the grown-ups were talking and mingling and drinking, there was this huge, crazy long branch that all of the kids found behind the barn and were playing on. I just really liked how there’s nothing around this area but they were all on top of this branch. It sort of looks like a boat.

I don’t have one single preference, but photography is always there for me. I like photography that is sort of real. I don’t like to do nature stuff, but architecture or people. Drawing is something I can always do. Drawing with ink is my preferred medium. I just really like the way plain black ink looks on white paper.

How do you think art has changed or helped you?

How did you get into art?

I can’t really remember exactly when, but I’d always been into visually interpreting things. I used to draw stories. I even started photography pretty early, just taking terrible photos with a really bad camera or something. My mom has an art degree, so there were always art books lying around.

Who or what inspires your art?

There isn’t really a person, but what inspires it is just how I want it to look. I think, for drawing, it’s more of an interpretation. I don’t draw super realistically. I tend to give things a certain look, which also translates into my photography. It isn’t exactly sad, but thought-provoking.

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First of all, it gives me something to do, like a purpose. I don’t know what else I would do. I can’t picture myself being a nurse or something. It has showed me that I can do something with my self in the world, as cheezy as that sounds. I can make something of what I like to do.

Why is art important to you?

A lot of people write what they’re feeling, but some people interpret things more visually, and I’ve always been like that. I’ve always been bad with words. I was dyslexic as a kid. I just didn’t learn things that easily, so drawing was very visual and I could understand it.

two students, one play. jasper anderson and noah dean

theo heimann

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upportive, diverse, weird, enjoyable, community,” said Theo Heimann when describing the people of Community Ensemble Theatre (CET).

Before coming to Community High School, Heimann performed lead roles in two plays at his middle school, Emerson. He played the main antagonist in “Pinocchio” and a sea creature in “Journey to the World’s Edge.” Heimann is not sure what kicked off his desire to be an actor.

“I’ve always liked acting, it’s always been fun for me, assuming the roles of other things.”

Heimann has performed in two CET shows so far: “Bob: A Life in Five Acts” and a skit in “Just Desserts.” He isn’t sure which of the two shows he enjoyed more.

“I don’t know how I’d be able to compare favorites because they were both very different experiences.” said Heimann. “‘Bob’ was a large ensemble [and] everyone worked to-

gether, whereas ‘Just Desserts’ was a small five-person cast for the skit I was in.”

Heimann missed the audition day for “Urinetown,” causing him to lose the opportunity to take part in the show. If he could do it again, he would for sure make the audition.

Currently, Heimann is working on CET’s production of “Twelfth Night.” He is assuming the role of Antonio, and this is his first time playing a named character in a CET show. Heimann prefers to play as a named character.

“You play the same character throughout, so you really get to delve into that character’s personality and experiment with that,” he said.

A lot of Heimann’s nerves come from auditioning.

“During the auditions is really where it decides a lot of what’s going to happen to you during the show,” said Heimman.

He isn’t usually anxious while on stage and performing however.

“It’s more the anticipation of going on for the first time, where you haven’t really tried it in front of a full audience before,” said Heinmann. “That’s a little nerve wracking, but mostly just excitement.”

Heimann is not very fond of the tedious blocking involved with rehearsals every week. One of his favorite parts of each show is the week right before the performance: tech week.

“I think that’s the week where really a lot of the adrenaline happens.” Heimann said.

He enjoys seeing the actors and crew doing things he has not seen before and bringing the show to life.

Once the final show is over, and actors and crew are working on taking down the set, Heimann feels three main emotions: relief that the show is finally over; wow this show was so fun, why is it over; and when is the next show?

“I didn’t really have that much trouble finding out who she was as a person, because she’s like a lot of other girls,” said Haviland. “I think she has the same characteristics when you know, she’s dreamy about Orsino how a normal girl has a big crush on someone, and the way she handles certain situations compares to how I do.”

Haviland’s character, Viola, is an average girl, who is put into sticky situations. She also feels that she handles these problems in similar ways.

Haviland is heavily influenced by actors like Sandra Bullock, Will Ferrell, and Jennifer Lawrence. She tries her best to combine their acting styles with hers.

“I watch their movies and I pick up on the little they do, like how they would say things” She uses their acting techniques as a guide for playing her role, Viola, as accurately and authentically as she can.

“I read over the script and get my own take on the character. I analyze what they mean and not just what they say. I try to take it to a third dimension.” said Haviland.

Being the lead in a CET play is not easy for

Haviland. She is constantly struggling with balancing her rehearsals, school work, and social life.

“I’m really busy because CET is every day from 3:30-6:00. I have to find time to do homework and study and hang out with my friends and family all at once and it is really hard for me.” said Haviland.

She also struggles to keep up her confidence like most actresses. She overcomes this by practicing and trying to not let anything get in her way.

“The hardest struggle that I face is that I have to stay confident in many ways. You have to keep practicing and learn how to be optimistic in what you do.”

Haviland likes going to rehearsal, but she likes it most when she can dedicate as much of her time as possible to acting so she can do the best job possible.

“I’m most excited for tech week because even though it’s stressful, its when you really get serious about the play and dedicate all your time to it and it is a really fun experience.”

sophie haviland

A

s Sophie nervously approached the director, she knew that the lead role was meant for her.

The only job was to convince him. Quinn and the stage director watched her intently as she auditioned for her dream role, and were pleasantly surprised by her acting. Ever since Haviland was eight years old, she tried, and failed at getting the lead role in a play. However, this time she had a feeling she would finally get her role in the spotlight.

That dream came true.

Sophie Haviland is now the lead role of the CET play “The Twelfth Night.” She had already known about the play, and felt a strong connection between her and the lead character. They both have liked someone who liked someone else, they are both confident and they both like shakespeare.

When she got the lead, she couldn’t have been happier.

“It’s only my second play at CET, and I didn’t know what to expect,” said Haviland.

Haviland feels like the part of Viola was meant for her, and relates to the character.

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15

HABITS how to make them & how to break them kelly arnold

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C

ommunity High junior Gloria Fall picks at her cuticles, and it’s not casual. The skin by her nail beds is slightly red and ripped from her pulling and scraping. It’s been a problem for over four years, and she can’t seem to shake it. She calls it compulsive.

“I pick out my cuticles subconsciously,” said Fall. “My nails look like a mess, and that’s not cute.”

Fall has developed her own ways to break her destructive routine, but finds that they don’t always come through.

“When I’m sitting, and I’m not holding anything in my hands, I always try to play with something,” said Fall. “I would make a conscious effort to do that, but sometimes I forget. I find myself picking my nails again.”

Community High long-term substitute teacher Jenny Imperiale has a habit of her own that she has tried to break.

“I constantly play with my earrings,” said Imperiale. “I know that I should stop, but when I’m nervous or bored or trying to pay attention, I just keep playing with my earrings.”

Like Fall, Imperiale has her own techniques to distract herself from her habit.

“I try doing other things, like fiddling with my fingers, or clicking a pen, just finding another way to kind of steady my hands when I’m nervous,” said Imperiale. “I’ve tried stopping, but it’s just a nervous habit.”

There’s one thing both Fall and Imperiale have in common: they both believe habits can never truly be broken.

Fall said that habits take forever to break because “if you’ve been doing something for a very long time, it’s impossible to not do it subconsciously. And you’re not always paying attention to what you’re doing.”

“I think that habits can come back like fads,” said Imperiale. “It’s just something that’s engrained. You consciously stop it, but it might come back after a while.”

Dr. Kent Berridge, a professor of psychology and neuroscience for over 20 years, has been fascinated by habits from the start of his time at the University of Michigan.

“We had no idea what we’d be studying,” said Berridge. “I was interested always in rewards and desires and things related to appetites and addictions and cravings. But the work kind of led us into the direction that the brain took us.”

Habits are caused by brain motivation systems. A habit can be broken down into the cue, the routine, and the reward.

“What happens is there’s a surge of activation in what’s called the basal lymphatic dopamine brain system, which is from the brain stem up to the center striatum part

and includes the bottom half, which is mostly motivational, adding the compulsive quality,” said Berridge. “So there’s a surge of activation there, and that makes it very attractive. It may be hard not to look at the cue, and it also makes that cue trigger a surge of motivation for it’s reward that it’s been paired with. So if we smell food, then that’s [the cue], then we eat. It’s temporary, so it’s triggered by the cue.”

“If you can live through it for a few minutes, you may come out the other side and be safe again,” said Berridge. “But it can be very powerful, depending on how intense the temptation is in that moment.”

He also explained that our varying states of stress can amplify the trigger to perform a habit.

In terms of breaking a habit, Berridge says theories go back 100 years ago to a psychologist named William James, the first educator in the country to offer a psychology course. “[James] said, what you really have to do is create a new habit,” said Berridge. “If you have a habit that’s causing you troubles, thats a temptation habit. The only way to deal with it is to establish a habit that’s healthier, that’s better. And the first time it’s immensely hard, but if you keep repeating the new habit, then eventually it can become automatic, too, and get you through those situations.”

In terms of kicking a habit, Berridge says the amount of time can vary.

“It can takes more than months and months,” said Berridge. “It can take a long time. But there’s something else to be aware of that’s become more apparent in the last 10 years in neuroscience: habits are routine and automatic. That’s always been recognized that they sort of trigger off automatically. But what makes them problematic is if they have a compulsive motivational quality.”

The difference between compulsive and non-compulsive habits explains why it’s harder to change some habits than others.

“There’s lots of habits that you do — brush your teeth, tie your shoe, coming in and out of a building — that you could easily change if you wanted to,” said Berridge. “You do them automatically without thinking. But, if you wanted to stop in the middle, you could do it. If you wanted to, it wouldn’t be so hard to thoughtfully brush your teeth in a different way. On the other hand, other habits, like addictive habits, those aren’t so easy to stop. It’s not that they’re automatic; they happen even when you are thinking about it. In fact, thinking about it can make it even more compulsive as a habit. So

there’s a distinction between the the motivational quality and the automatic quality, the ‘routine’ quality.”

For habits to be broken, Berridge emphasized, one must go about it in a very deliberate and certain way.

“There are actually studies on what works and what doesn’t work,” said Berridge. “So one thing that doesn’t often work is, say, a resolution to not have that ‘extra’ whatever it is. In the moment of truth, when the temptation comes, that resolution may hold or it may not. What works better, turns out, are sort of concrete strategies. So if a person doesn’t want to have dessert at the end of a meal, the best strategy is not to say ‘I’m not going to have dessert,’ its to say, ‘at the end of the meal I’m going to get up and walk past the dessert cart’ or go past something else. Do something concretely that puts you

“If you can live through it for a few minutes,you may come out the other side and be safe again.”

in a new situation. A person, turns out, can adhere to that a little bit better than to the more abstract and ‘I’m not going to give into temptation’ resolution.”

Berridge also suggests another way of going about breaking old habits and establishing new ones: mindfulness.

“It’s sort of the opposite approach,” said Berridge. “And this approach may use some kinds of meditation strategies to help mindfulness, to become very aware of your breathing or what’s around you at this moment, what’s your sensation, and attending to that. And the idea of that is that applied to compulsive tempting cues and habits, you may come to be able to treat those as events that you can pay attention to and notice in a way you haven’t before and not have to act.”

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more apps, more problems. the real effects of social media. josh krauth-harding and eleanor olson

Marin Scott, a junior at Community, thought she had only sent and received 50 text messages the day before. However, when flipping through her texts, she discovered over 200 messages.

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Jack Douglass, junior

“[Social media] distracts me more, especially in the bathroom.”

Eve Zikmund-Fisher, junior

“Social media makes me more self conscious, because I care more about what others are thinking. Sometimes I want to post things because I know people will notice them rather than because I find them interesting.”

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Jack Grande-Cassell, sophomore @chs_student

“It’s too sneaky. A picture can be taken of you without you even knowing and up on Facebook in 3 seconds.”

Renee Hanna, junior @chs_student

“Social media is the epitome of being both a tennager and/or insane.”

Makela Lynn, sophomore @chs_student

“We’re all too used to communicating from behind a screen now.”

“I was really shocked,” said Scott. “I never thought I would be sending that many texts.”

E

than Kross, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, investigates this desire to be constantly connected with other humans. He says that human beings have felt this primal need since the beginning of time.

“The human need for social connection is well established, as are the benefits that people derive from such connections,” Kross said.

And with today’s technology, it’s easier than ever.

“On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource by allowing people to instantly connect,” said Kross, “Rather than enhancing well-being, as frequently interactions with supportive “offline” social networks powerfully do, the current findings demonstrate that interacting with Facebook may predict the opposite result for young adults – it may undermine it.”

Some wonder whether these connections are beneficial, and if social media is even capable of providing these networks.

Kross’s research showed overall declines in effective well-being that were linked linearly to Facebook use over time. “On the surface, Facebook provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling the basic human need for social interaction,” Kross wrote. “Rather than enhancing well-being, however, these findings suggest that Facebook may undermine it.” The people studied were found to feel worse the day directly after using Facebook and had a decrease in their life satisfaction over the duration of the two week study.

“I feel slightly more stressed because I was procrastinating so much, so it’s more like social media’s a way to procrastinate work, and it doesn’t feel very good,” said Scott.

In contrast, direct social contact remains crucial for people’s well-being. A lack of human interaction, for example face-to-face interaction or phone conversations, effects affective well-being (the measure of complete wellness, taking into account person well-being, circumstantial well-being, and ‘mental capital’ or activities and psychological resources) negatively; more direct social interaction improved people’s well-being and life satisfaction. The levels of affective

well-being can be described as high negative (anxious and hostile), low negative (calmness and relaxation), high positive (enthusiastic, energetic, and active) and low positive (dullness and unpleasantness).

Facebook also has been shown to damage social comparisons for people who have common direct social contact, according to Kross. Social comparisons are the ways we see and compare ourselves against society, often in terms of success and perceived happiness.

“The more people interacted with other people directly, the more strongly Facebook predicted declines in their affective well-being,” said Kross. This trend has two possible explanations: that either increased direct social interaction enhances the frequency of social comparison or magnifies the inflicted emotional impact.

Social media may have a more negative effect than previously thought. Other research has shown that social media has a negative impact on physical activity, which affects cognition and the bodies ability to replenish emotional energy. “In addition to being consequential in its own right, subjective well-being predicts an array of mental and physical health consequences,” said Kross. Subjective well-being is another branch of how psychologists measure people’s life satisfaction, including emotional reaction and cognitive judgment.

Facebook poses a unique threat to human well-being. It attracts large groups of people and has a highly addictive quality, however it systematically influences our perception of life. What we think of our own life and of others impacts our general well-being. Being wary of the ways Facebook can control how we think, feel, and perceive, is important to the continuation of healthy human contact.

Scott said that, in the end, she has mixed feelings about social media. “It has made me slightly more anti-social in a weird way, because I’m communicating with so many others, over social media,” Scott said. “I also think it’s really cool, because I am able to keep up with friends, and talk quickly, and work out projects, and stuff like that.

So, I think it’s for the better. You just have to monitor it.”

out of 100 community students... three in four students have a facebook account.

86 people have a smartphone.

100% use the internet everyday.

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21

maneesha mankad settles in.

kelsey albig ada banks photo

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aneesha Mankad already feels at home here. “A student came up to me in the hallway and said, ‘I love you Maneesha. How is your day?” It made me feel important,” she said.

She also felt a sense of communication between her and the students and staff.

Mankad felt comfortable expressing her thoughts and feelings, and even discussed her day with her fellow colleagues and students.

“I feel like I can really be myself, and I believe that’s a lot of what Community is about,” Mankad said.

Mankad was born in India where she got her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematical Statistics. She later moved to Ohio to get her Master’s Degree. She then made her third move to Ann Arbor in 1994 and volunteered as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, led the Science Olympiad Team to State Victory last year and coached a Bollywood Dance Team.

Mankad first started student teaching and substitute teaching at Huron High School and Slauson Middle School. After this experience, she knew teaching was her passion.

She teaches Algebra 2 blocks 2 and 4, Finance/Statistics block 5, Math Support block 7, and the new Manzinsky forum (Maneesha and Marci’s forum). Mankad is also excited to become a part of the CET Production next year.

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When Mankad found out she was going to be able to teach at Community, she was excited. She really enjoys the diversity and student leadership here at Community.

“I think Community students are maybe the best students I have had,” she said.

“They are so warm and inviting and Community has been such a great place for me so far.”

Mankad hopes to make students feel more comfortable with the subjects she teaches.

“I have a big goal to make kids here feel a sense of self efficiency in doing Mathematics,” she said. “I want students to know that it’s not just ability and anyone can be successful in Math, provided they are willing to do the work and be taught in the right way. I look for different way to present the material that can meet the needs of certain learning styles of the students.”

Mankad encourages communication and participation in her classes.

She is also working at creating an environment in the classroom where students can share and experiment their ideas. She adds that the use of mathematics goes beyond the classroom.

“My teaching philosophy is empowering kids to feel like they can do math and also to help students become critical thinkers and problem solvers,” she said. “Math is not just the Algebra and the Trigonometry and the

Calculus but the skill of solving problems.”

Mankad is happy to have a profession that satisfies her outgoing personality.

“I love people,” she said. “I love working with young people, old people and all different types of people. I have an extroverted personality. I love talking to everyone I meet, and being right in the middle of everything.”

Mankad also plans to start a club at CHS next semester. She needs 15+ students, and one Club Ambassador who is passionate about technology and will recruit and spread word of the club. The club is a science program which teaches computer science and improved tech skills and has opportunities for students to build their own websites or apps. This is a club to support females who have a passion for technology, but this club is also open to males who want to learn too.

“I want to help people feel more engaged in science, technology and engineering fields,” she said. “I believe there are a lot of jobs coming up in the 21st century that will involve those skills. This club includes eight hours a month, organized field trips, meetings with guest speakers, and some student projects.”

To apply, please talk to Mankad if this science club seems of particular interest to you.

q&a.

johnson matt

When were you born?

June 9th, 1983 What is your favorite food?

The best meal I ever had was way deep in a bayou, like 100 miles outside of New Orleans. It started with crawfish and it was gumbo after that. And still to this day it’s my definition of perfection for food.

What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you?

Well I dislocated my shoulder and tore some ligaments in it while I was asleep. I was having a dream that I was in a WW2 video game, and when I leapt out of the way, I leapt straight into the wall. I woke up and my shoulder hurt and I had just been shot in the dream, so I thought I had been shot. I tried to convince my roommate to take me to the hospital.

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

I am definitely an avid surfer.

I spent 3 years living in california so surfing became a part of my life.

What’s your favorite tv show?

Favorite tv show of all-time is The Simpsons seasons 1 to about 7 or 8. They got new writers and it just wasn’t the same.

What’s your favorite book?

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

Weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

In South America I had “Tandoori Qi” and Qi is guinea pig. Cooked Tandoori-style, so like Indian style, in a clay pot. It comes like just a deep fried guinea pig and you can see its claws and teeth, and it’s very strange.

What’s something that really freaks you out?

Snakes for sure. I’m really not into snakes. They are just weird and creepy.

Best drive you’ve taken?

Driving Highway 1 which runs along the pacific coast, with my wife, and we had our surfboards strapped along the top of the car. We just had a lot of food and

pictures and it was great.

How’d you propose to your wife?

We were in South America and we were traveling for a year, backpacking through South America, and I had been planning it the whole time. I bought a ring before I left, but I left it with my parents because you don’t take that sort of thing with you to South America. So I took a picture of it and I bought a stand at a market.

We went on this two-day hike in the back country, and there was probably nobody within two miles. And I told her I need to set up a picture for the two of us, so I set up a picture with a whole bunch of series and then I proposed there and then took a picture.

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things what would you bring?

Well certainly a surfboard because of the whole island thing. Probably a water purifier, so I could stay alive.

And then a Kindle with a solar charger.

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23

costume controversy

OPINIONS ON HALLOWEEN COSTUMES VARY BETWEEN GIRLS marie jacobon eleanor olson illustration

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loria Fall attended a Halloween party sophomore year dressed as minimally as she could get away with. She was a cat, wearing a low cut crop top, spandex, and cat ears. In a room full of similarly bare cats and bunnies, Fall did not feel out of place. However, she did feel uncomfortable with the amount of skin she was showing. As Fall grows in age, the amount of clothing she wears on Halloween is decreasing. This inverse relationship is present in a large amount of girls.

However, this was not always the case.

On Halloween in the early 1900s, costumes had low hemlines, high-buttoned collars and did not show a substantial amount of skin. Nowadays, when attending a Halloween party, costumes like Fall’s aren’t uncommon: short skirts, tight material and bare arms.

Often, Fall said, “girls don’t even look like the things they claim to be dressing up as. People choose their costumes based on how good they will look and how little skin they will show.”

When brainstorming ideas for Halloween costumes with her friends, Fall said ,“every single idea is like slutty cheerleader or superheroes but the clothes are not covering you at all.”

Fall believes that each person should be entitled to their own choice.

“If you want to dress provocatively you can, but if you aren’t comfortable with that you shouldn’t be held to the idea that you have to dress provocatively in order to fit in,” she said.

Phoenix Patterson likes to wear revealing Halloween costumes because it boosts her confidence.

“I feel like I’ve worked hard to achieve how I look. I think dressing [in a revealing way] shows off my hard work,” she said.

Revealing Halloween costumes have become much more common over the decades and have now taken over the Halloween stores. Colleen van Lent, mother of two girls and one boy, all un-

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der the age of ten, shared her frustration with the marketing of Halloween costumes for females.

“I think that a lot of people are going back more to homemade [costumes] because you can’t find anything that’s not revealing in the teenage and the adult women sections in stores,” she said.

Fall admits to feeling pressured and expected by society to dress provocatively when attending a Halloween party. Media plays a major role in this pressure on teenage girls.

“In movies like ‘Mean Girls,’ they are making fun of girls who dress slutty for Halloween but are still glorifying the idea of it. You see that when you’re young and you don’t understand that it’s a joke so you think ‘oh, that’s what I have to look like in high school,’” said Fall, explaining how this aspect of media sets a standard or image for girls at a young age.

Adults are also wearing more revealing Halloween costumes. “There are more moms who want to dress with their daughters and they would rather have their daughters dress more revealing than for them to dress comically or in a boring manner,” said van Lent.

“We need to stop oversexualizing women and a huge step would be to stop the societal pressures to dress provocatively every time a girl puts on a costume,” said Fall.

Colleen van Lent also gives some thought as to how this trend can be reversed.

“The only thing that can be done to reverse [this trend of revealing Halloween costumes] is for the parents to stop buying them. But in order for that to happen, there need to be other alternatives… we either need new stores or we need to encourage our kids to make their own costumes more,” she said.

On the contrary, Fall does not see the potential for the reverse of this trend.

“Girls will continue to dress in minimal clothing on Halloween, even though it’s cold outside,” she said. “Because we can.”

the fappening NOT JUST A SECURITY BREACH, IT IS GENDER OPPRESSION

L

frances mackecher

abeled as “The Fappening,” the celebrity nude leak scandal continues. One hundred women and one man were victims of the leak.

Hackers used a “brute force attack” to gain access to celebrities’ iClouds through a flaw in Apple’s system (which has since been fixed). Lena Dunham began an ongoing debate over the privacy violation, calling the hackers “sex offenders,” and begged the public to refrain from looking at the pictures out of respect to the already violated victims.

After Emma Watson’s moving speech on feminism in the United Nations conference, hackers have threatened to leak nude pictures of her in attempt to stop the feminist movement. The FBI office in Los Angeles is investigating the case and if found, the hackers could face harsh prison sentences for their crimes. Jennifer Lawrence, one of the victims, announced that she would prosecute anyone who re-posted the pictures of her.

The attack on Emma Watson showed that the hackers are truly misogynistic. While some people say that people like Kim Kardashian deserved what she got regarding the sex-tape scandal, that is a sexist and ethically wrong accusation. The hackers want the victims to be blamed; they want women to be shamed. These women should be allowed to show however much of their bodies, whenever they want to, and to whomever they want.

The leaked pictures are stolen property. Not only are the offenders hackers and thieves, but they are also sex offenders. They are using public humiliation and sexual threatening to denounce women and feminism. If you search up the images you are also an offender. By accessing what the hackers leaked, you are encouraging them and perpetuating the vicious cycle of sex-shaming.

Think twice the next time you are thinking about passing along a nude picture, whether it be of a celebrity or a classmate. When doing so you are not only committing a crime punishable by law, but you are also adding to the public humiliation that the victims must face. Though you may not get in trouble for looking at or showing someone else a private photo, that does not mean you are not at fault.

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25

the new veteran dean. marcelo salas & caroline phillips

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ada banks photo

Her tenth grade year, Marci Tuzinsky took third place in the nation in weightlifting.

Now, as new Dean, she has to support the entirety of Community High School.

Her path to administration began in South Lyon, Michigan. In a town where the names of football players were posted above street signs, Tuzinsky spent the majority of her time with her sisters, playing outdoors on her family’s one acre property.

From her father, Tuzinsky garnered a sense of both vigilance and security. She was accustomed to her dad working the graveyard shift, acting as an undercover member of a motorcycle gang and putting together the SWAT team in Ypsilanti. Fittingly, she and her siblings were trained in self-defense at a very young age.

But it never occurred to Tuzinsky that her father was putting his life at risk on a daily basis.

“Whenever [my dad] walks into a restaurant, he will only sit facing the door,” said Tuzinsky. “[He] has a certain presence. He’s in charge and in control.”

On her mother’s side, there is a pattern of professions. Tuzinsky’s mother was a teacher, her aunts were all teachers and her uncle married a teacher. However, Tuzinsky embraced instructing on her own accord.

In high school, she was involved in volleyball, soccer, theater and the student council with her friend from preschool and now husband, Rich Tuzinsky. As a talented student, she only confronted the possibility of failure with the unexpected death of her stepdad.

“He was 45 years old,” she said. “I remember I was at a volleyball game, and I came home, and he had a heart attack. My whole driveway was filled with emergency vehicles, and I had invited everyone home after [the game],” Tuzinsky said. “I just kind of got into a funk after that. I was this Marci that wasn’t going to classes. I wasn’t doing much.”

Her grade in Spanish dropped to an E. It wasn’t until her friend, who didn’t take school seriously himself, questioned her work ethic, that she finally snapped out of her “funk.” Due to the severity of Tuzinsky’s situation, she was given a chance to prove she had learned the material on the final

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exam, and whatever grade she received on the test, she would get for the class. Once again, she embraced her driven attitude and earned an A+. Even with the difficulty of her loss, Tuzinsky conquered and continued with her education with even more strength and vision for herself.

During her sophomore year geometry class, she mastered the art of dissecting

problem sets and presenting them with simplicity. So, she asked her teacher if she could give a few lessons, and, eventually, Tuzinsky found herself focusing on math and computer science at the Western Michigan University College of Education.

Here, Tuzinsky participated in an alternative teaching program, working with at-risk high school students to decrease the drop-

out rate and motivate students to continue on with their educational path.

It was because of her involvement with this program that Tuzinsky knew she wanted to work in a progressive setting.

“I loved to be in a place where you could take initiative, and I wanted to be in a place where you could be active and creative,” Tuzinsky said.

After a lengthy research process, Tuzinsky found Community High School (CHS) and decided it was her dream school. She then applied to CHS along with Dexter and Livonia. While she heard nothing from Community, she did receive an offer from Livonia.

After accepting a job there, Tuzinsky got an unexpected call from Community for an opening as a math teacher. Conflicted,

Tuzinsky decided to go with her heart and interview for the CHS opening and cancel her contract with Livonia.

“I took the job and never looked back,” Tuzinsky said. “It was the best decision I made.”

Once she was in the school, Tuzinsky got involved immediately. She simply wanted to do things that were “bigger than just [the] classroom.”

She then opted to get her masters in Educational Leadership in hopes of someday being able to contribute to Community on an administrative level.

A couple years later, Tuzinsky was surplused over to Pioneer for a few years. She eventually returned to Community, as a part-time lead teacher and part-time math teacher. When formed dean, Peter Ways, left his job, the CHS staff wanted to know if Tuzinsky was going to apply for the job, as she had the credentials for such a position.

“I wasn’t ready then,” she said. “I still had a few things to learn. You can have a degree, but experience teaches you a lot. Not applying right away gave me the experience under Peter, the administration at Pioneer and Dean Jen.” When Dean Jennifer Hein left her position in the summer of 2014, Tuzinsky knew she was ready for the challenge that she had been preparing for since the first day she came to CHS. “When the job was open, I started thinking, ‘I’ll train a new dean. I’ll share my list of ideas.’ And then I thought, ‘wait a second– I’ll just do my list’,” she said. “I can do it.”

Tuzinsky holds her memories as a teacher close to her heart as she steps into the shoes of a role with new responsibilities, new goals and new challenges.

“There is a lot of hard work,” she said. “I’m not going to lie. But it is all worth it.”

Even so, Tuzinsky wishes to embrace her passion for education and creative vision to continue on with the often hectic, demanding, and most importantly to her, meaningful dean position.

“I love this school,” she said. “I love the kids here, I love the staff and I want this school to be the best place for everyone. It feels good to work hard for something you believe in.”

the communicator 27

ireland van eck

fashion chs

Sophia Simon

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ruby lowenstein

avery farmer

sarah o’connor

oby ugwuegbu

sabina fall

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family first for dilla’s delights erez dessel & joel appel-kraut communicator web joel appel-kraut photo

O

n a brisk Saturday morning, around 7:15, Herman Hayes had just finished dropping off a batch of donuts at Lafayette Laundry in Detroit. Hayes, in a fleece zip-up and Detroit Tigers hat, has been a baker since 1979, when he started at Avalon Bakery in Detroit.

After his first drop-off, he stopped by Avalon to grab some coffee and exchange salutations before once again hitting the road for four more stops. Driving around the city in a red two-door Ford Escort and dropping off donuts to be sold at various vendors may seem a bit unorthodox, but Hayes has ambitious plans for his business, Dilla’s Delights, and a passionate, heartfelt cause to match.

In 2006, James Yancey, the Detroit rapper and producer better known as J Dilla, tragically passed away from lupus at the age of 32. Yancey’s uncle, Herman Hayes, loved Yancey, and always remembered his affinity for doughnuts. The last album J Dilla made, while on his deathbed, was titled ‘Donuts’: an homage to the food that he loved. Hayes felt that early on he had this connection to Dilla through his donuts. However, it didn’t end there.

“With James, it was more than just donuts.

Donuts was beats, donuts was money, donuts was ladies.” For J Dilla, donuts represented the whole picture. Hayes feels honored that Dilla named his final album “Donuts,” but it’s more than that. Dilla loved his donuts as a kid, and now Hayes feels that he is representing Dilla through his donuts.

“If he was here, I’d be making them for him now,” Hayes said.

However, the donut shop isn’t the only thing that has paid homage to Dilla. The music community in Detroit shared in remembering him, and remembering his legacy became a ‘hip hop thing,’ according to Hayes. When

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Dilla died, the family got lots of support from the hip hop community.

“They embraced us,” Hayes said. “Hip hop is not just about clothing, rap. It’s about taking the culture into society. That’s what we brought as far as the Lupus walks, it brought something that hip-hop represented, us taking a stand and representing music and medicine, and doing walks and doing things to show that.”

The Lupus walks, which were held in cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago, have raised a lot of money for the J Dilla foundation, run by Hayes’ sister, Maureen Yancey, as well as raising awareness about the dangers of Lupus. The Lupus walks were discontinued about two years ago due to lack of funding, but Hayes continues to fight for everything the J Dilla foundation stands for.

“We plan on supporting the foundation, we plan on supporting Lupus, and his daughters, and my sister,” says Hayes. On June 28th, a day for the daughters was held outside of Avalon Bakery, with a tent and Hayes DJ-ing.

Donuts and t-shirts were sold.

Dilla’s younger brother, John, has also worked to represent Dilla, appearing in a music video for the song “Won’t Do.” Now, he is a rapper, known as Illa J, collaborating with the same artists who often worked with Dilla, and frequently rapping over Dilla’s instrumentals. “[Lupus] is predominantly a woman’s disease, that’s why he was misdiagnosed,” says Hayes. This misdiagnosis was just one of the many tragedies that struck the Yancey family. While Dilla was in the hospital, his mother lost her house, and after Dilla’s death, the family lost the rights to the estate and its financial assets. Now, through Dilla’s Delights, Hayes is looking out for his sister (Dilla’s mom), Dillas siblings, and his children.

He wants to give back to the family what

Dilla was probably trying to build for them.

“That’s why I’m taking a stand. They [Dilla’s daughters] have been totally screwed from the estate situation.” Hayes feels that it’s vitally important for Dilla’s daughters to be involved with the donut shop and to eventually become CEO’s. The donut shop is Dilla’s shop, so it’s only right that it should be owned by Dilla’s daughters. The girls are slowly learning, but eventually they’ll learn how to bake the donuts, and Hayes hope they’ll be able to run the downtown shop eventually. Right now though, they’re just selling donuts and learning about the intricacies of the business.

Around 7:45 A.M., Hayes sets out to make his second drop of the day, to a coffee shop and performance space in midtown Detroit.

When Hayes comes into 1515 Broadway, the first thing he does is check up on his donuts, prominently displayed in a clear pastry case right behind the front window. He grabs the tray of donuts and takes it to the back to wash it off and put a fresh batch of donuts on it. Each of his donuts has its own original name, which draws some connection to music and the Detroit community. His Conant Gardens glaze pays homage to the Conant Gardens neighborhood in Detroit, which was the birthplace of Dilla’s first music group, Slum Village. The Rasul Wasi donut, filled with raspberry currant, honors the late rapper Baatin, Dilla’s friend in high school and a long-time collaborator.

With all of the donuts ready to be displayed, he puts them in the pastry case, and signs them in. On the front of the pastry case is a small, torn up sticker with a Dillas Delights logo, designed by the graphic artist The Mighty Junebugg. Seeing the condition of the sticker, Hayes runs out to his car and gets a brand new one.

“We’re a community, and we’re going to

support each other. We keep it in the community,” said Hayes. “When somebody wants coffee, I’ll send him over here.”

About a block away from 1515 sits an abandoned hotel, with a little black mailbox reading “Dilla’s Delights LLC” on the door. While the majority of the building is being renovated into new apartments, a small room on the bottom floor will eventually become the donut shop. Still messy, and run down, Hayes has a vision for the space, including a dj booth in a loft.

Opening Dilla’s Delights has not been without its struggles, and the construction company has caused the opening of the shop to be delayed for about a year. Of course, the biggest problem has been money. Hayes plans on doing a kickstarter for the business, but it’s a slow process, and challenges arise often.

Around 8:45, Hayes hops into his escort again, and heads towards an area in West Village, Detroit previously in very bad shape.

The area has been revitalized by small stores such as sister pie, or The Parker Street Market, where Hayes sells his donuts. David Kirby, the owner of Parker Street Market, opened the store to sell michigan made foods, and help out small businesses, such as Dilla’s Delights. “People not only love the donuts, but also the story behind them,” said Kirby.

While Hayes makes and delivers the donuts, his partner, Mike Vanover, dressed in a Tigers hat and a Dilla’s Delights t-shirt, has made a different part of the business his home. In a small church on the East side of Detroit, Vanover’s Catalina mobile home sits in a building that he hopes will soon become the business’s commercial kitchen, as well as a tribute to Dilla.

“The shop downtown’s limited on square footage,” says Vanover, “but when you have

a playoff game, the midtown area is going to flood. We need to cater to that.”

Of the three flat sides of the building, one of them has a mural with the late producer’s face, and the words :“His 45’s and music scene/don’t scratch the surface of this dream/Detroit city legacy/Dilla play one more for me.” The remaining sides are covered in graffiti, but plans have been made for them to be painted as tributes to Dilla, including the sheet music to “Diana in The Autumn Wind,” by Gap Mangione, the notorious sample in the J Dilla production “Fall in Love.”

“This is what we’re doing in Detroit for Dilla,” says Hayes, “It’s not just a donut shop, we’re trying to make him visible all over the city.”

Hayes learned how to bake donuts at Dawn Donuts, a large donut franchise in Detroit.

He was attending chef school at the Detroit Athletic Club when he decided he needed to bring in some extra income, so he began baking donuts.

Before he opened the shop, he took a break from baking donuts, but when he came back, “it was just as easy as before. I felt I was destined to do this.”

The way Hayes tries to make donuts is similar to the way Dilla would make beats: as a total perfectionist. “[Dilla’s beats] would be something classic and something beautiful, and everyone in the room would feel it, but if he didn’t feel it, he’d erase it.” Hayes feels he must treat the donuts the same way if he’s going to put Dilla’s name on them.

Like Dilla, Hayes is humble about his business, and like Dilla, Hayes rarely gives interviews. He did some interviews early, but was not happy with the results. The article didn’t mention enough about the daughters’ situation after Dilla’s death, or their vital role

in the donut shop. For Hayes, family comes first. He remembers stopping by his sister’s house and seeing Dilla, Baatin, and other high school friends in the basement working on music.

“My sister was a free spirit who would… just let them be creative. You know, even though they were a church-going family, she let them say and do whatever they wanted if it was in the arts.” Hayes acknowledges how important that was for Dilla’s development as a producer.

“It was weird to be in a Christian household and in the basement you’re hearing Proof, and you’re hearing Baatin, and Royce Da 5’9”, as teenagers, spitting all kinds of obscenities” Hayes said.

Hayes favorite beat of Dilla’s is “Don’t Nobody Care About Us” from Dilla’s early work with Phat Kat. “If it gets in your head, it may not come out.”

This could be said about most of Dilla’s work, as his samples and catchiness are part of his hallmark.

As for Dilla’s favorite type of donut, “he loved glazed. Strictly glazed.”

J Dilla will always be remembered as one of the most influential and beloved musicians and people ever in hip-hop. And though Dilla touched the hearts of anybody who listened to his music, nobody was affected more than the people who raised him.

“We can wear the ‘J Dilla changed my life’ t-shirts better than anybody,” says Hayes. “He changed the directions of our lives.“

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sports

skyline crew skyline 32

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kea von emden photos

LEFT : Varsity Men lifting the boat on the trailer.

MIDDLE LEFT Middle:Coach Kit Bennett nervous about the first race.

TOP LEFT: Kate Burns and Emily Hatch rowing in a double.

ABOVE: Emily Hatch happy even though she had to get up at 4 am to drive to Columbus.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Natalie Lakin and Julia Showich before they started rigging the boats.

BOTTOM MIDDLE: Novice four in their last race. Won Silver medal.

th e com municator 3 3

the naked truth.

everybody, even celebrities, deserves privacy hannah rubenstein

eva rosenfeld illustration

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n Aug. 31, 2014, hundreds of nude or semi-nude private photos of celebrities, the vast majority of which were of women, were leaked. The pictures were mostly of Jennifer Lawrence, who has recently referred to the incident as a “sex crime”. They also included other famous actresses or singers, such as Selena Gomez, Kate Upton and Kirsten

“I don’t think it should be other people’s business, what you’re doing, even if you’re a celebrity.”

”

Dunst. iCloud, a key feature in Apple products, was originally blamed for the hack.

Apple has since said that they do not believe iCloud was the problem. They believe it was the hacker, who was somehow able to gain access to the celebrities’ passwords.

Ruby Lowenstein, a Community High School sophomore, noticed that women were the targets of this issue. “I think that it just points to how our society objectifies women,” she said.

Milo Tucker-Meyer, a junior, felt similarly.

He did not believe there would have been “as much of an uproar about it” had the leaked pictures been of men instead of women.

The leaking of naked or inappropriate pictures of celebrities has not been an inherently female-oriented event. Men, including Justin Bieber, Dylan Sprouse and Kanye West have been targeted in the past. Kyle Radant, a sophomore, thought that female nudes are more “valued” than those of males

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in our society, and that people would have cared much less if the photos had been of men.

Most people interviewed within the walls of Community High School seemed to agree that taking nudes in general is a dangerous thing to do.

“Obviously the best way to not have your nudes leaked is to not take them in the first place,” Lowenstein said.

Khalil Eljamal, a sophomore, said that his firm opinion on not taking nudes was not defined by gender.

“If a guy did it, it’d be his fault too,” he said.

“I’m just saying that people shouldn’t [take nudes] in general. ” He claimed that taking nude pictures can be risky “with the internet nowadays.”

This incident brings up a debate over human rights to privacy. While many students concluded that it is unwise to take nude pictures in the first place, there is a question of what aspects of celebrities’ lives should be available for comment. Emily Tschirhart, a freshman, thinks this is a matter of privacy. “I don’t think it should be other people’s business, what you’re doing, even if you are a celebrity,” she said.

A junior, Laura Westervelt, added that taking nudes does not “change what [people] do in the world,” so these women should not be treated differently.

Even if some Community students might believe it was a poor choice to take the photos in the first place, their thoughts on the actresses in a profession light seem to have been unchanged. Still, there are possible concerns for the actresses in the future. Gloria Fall, a junior, is worried that the celebrities’ private pictures being out in the world could influence their future careers.

“People are not going to respect them as much,” Fall said. Hopefully, this invasion of privacy will not negatively influence their careers in the long term.

to shave, or not to shave? that is the question.

NEWS C

alexandra hobrecht eleanor olson illustration

I

n 1992, a young Jason McKnight asked himself a question as he stood looking at his reflection in his bathroom’s mirror: to shave or not to shave? At the time, it was not a life-changing decision. But when he stood eyeing his reflection 20 years later, this question has become a much bigger issue.

McKnight is known as the Latin and Government teacher on the first floor, and is known by many for his beard. Surely at some point each of his students has all stopped and wondered, why? The answer to this intriguing question has finally become clear.

“I’ve had some sort of hair on my chin since I graduated high school,” said McKnight. However, that’s only if we go way back. He officially started growing it out December 11th, 2012, in a protest against the Right to Work law.

The Right to Work law prohibits union security agreements, essentially discouraging unions and their benefits. Michigan became the 24th state to officially pass Right to Work in December of 2012.

The plan is to go to back to his “normal beard” when Right to Work is repealed, which he believes may happen in the next midterm election. “[It] seems like there’s a possibility that this could be the last year for my beard,” said McKnight. If not, it’ll be sticking around for another four years, which McKnight would not be

too excited about.

He imagines having a beard is a lot like having long hair.

“The days when you’re wearing a coat with an uncooperative zipper, those are the days that it’s not fun to have a giant beard,” McKnight said.

Some wonder how his beard plays into other aspects of his life. In McKnight’s family’s case, they are very accepting.

“When I told my wife I was doing this, she thought it was great and she was supportive,” he said. “My girls think it’s great, they love the idea of putting barrettes and rubber bands in it, so it’s a lot of fun.”

As for his students, opinions vary. Some feel the beard has overstayed its welcome.

“I seriously think he should shave it off.

Shave it! All!” said sophomore Kayann Berger, who has known McKnight since she was little.

On the other hand, many students feel McKnight’s classes would not be the same without his beard, such as senior Lydia Krienke.

“I think it adds 50 percent of the enthusiasm,” she said. “It adds a whole new level to the education! I really love it.”

It’s up to the voters this November to decide the fate of McKnight’s beard.

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eliza upton eliza upton & madeline halpert photos

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ne chili cheese dog, one mint Oreo Blizzard, one Diet Coke and five minutes. Welcome to Eliza Vs. Food.

I know many of you are probably missing Casey Vs. Food right now and the many laughs that it brought us, but do not fret.

At the end of last year, Casey and I decided that it would be a travesty for The Communicator to lose these critically newsworthy food challenges, so we agreed that I was ready and capable to take over his position as food master. We even settled it with our own challenge of a race to finish birthday cake with no hands. Obviously I came out as the champion, and thus the Casey Vs. Food crown was passed on. My stomach and I are preparing for the challenges that are on the way and I am even more excited to tell all you eager readers about this month’s challenge.

Most great food challenges seem to be about quantity of food, but for my first food challenge I decided to go for quality of food, after a genius suggestion from a friend. My friend, whose identity shall remain anonymous, although she’s small, cute, Jewish and her name rhymes with Hadeline Malpert, had expressed her curiosity in the chili cheese dog lunch at Dairy Queen. Both of

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us are big Dairy Queen lovers. I mean, I plan on having Boston Market and Dairy Queen cater my wedding, but the thought of a hot dog slathered in chili and cheese served by an ice cream shop did seem to make my stomach turn. No hate to DQ, but we thought this sounded like one of the grossest things we could think of– even grosser than the fact that Pioneer students consider their football games fun. I promise you all that most of my upcoming challenges will be about quantity of food, but we wanted something unique for this first one, and so it was decided I would eat the $5 chili cheese dog lunch meal from Dairy Queen for my first Eliza Vs. Food.

My friend and I arrived at our local and favorite Dairy Queen on a beautiful Wednesday evening. It was just as serene as hiding in the Sweetwater’s bathroom after not being able to find a lunch spot. It was sunny and in the mid seventies, and we had enjoyed the relaxation of a half day of school.

Everything seemed perfect, however, upon trying to order, a problem arose. We had arrived at DQ around 6:20 p.m because we were well aware that the grill closes at 7:00p.m, but what we were not aware of was that the $5 lunch deal is only valid from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Luckily I had eight dollars

in my wallet (way more than the usual two) and I was able to afford to pay for each item in the $5 lunch individually, but alas the chips could not be included. This was not too much of a block in my road to victory. I had to upgrade from a sundae to a Blizzard and I was feeling good.

So I placed my order (saw the disgust in the DQ worker’s eyes as he headed to the back to make my dog) grabbed extra napkins and headed discretely to a picnic table in the back where I could complete my challenge inconspicuously.

Even though consuming a hot dog of this quality was a challenge in itself, it was agreed that I should have a time limit. So after a little deliberation, it was determined that I would have only five minutes to consume the chili cheese dog, Blizzard and Diet Coke.

When I opened up the chili dog packaging, my heart sank a little. I’m not a huge fan of chili in the first place, but the orange-ish substance that covered a pale grey-toned hot dog did not resemble my mom’s homemade zucchini, carrot, and turkey chili, and it was about the last thing I wanted to eat at that moment. On the positive side, it did make that Oreo Blizzard look like a gift from the ice cream gods.

With the timer and photographer set, while my stomach tried to be half as prepared, I sat down to begin the challenge.

I started by taking a couple gulps of Diet Coke. I figured that the carbonation would be hard to take in all at once, so I decided to drink it in spurts. After a few gulps I moved on to the hot dog. Trying not to think about what I was eating, I wolfed it down. To no surprise, the hot dog tasted pretty much as bad as it looked. The chili itself wasn’t a very appetizing texture and the cheese was just thick and tasteless. But I closed my eyes and kept going, and within thirty seconds, the dog was gone.

Next, as planned, I took a few more chugs of Diet Coke and moved on to the Blizzard.

I had purposely left this for last to use it as a reward for finishing the dog, but when you have to eat ice cream really fast, it takes away some of the fun. I had thought the dog would be the hardest part of the challenge, but it actually turned out to be the Blizzard.

I was trying my best to scoop spoonfuls of ice cream into my mouth as fast as possible without getting a brain freeze, but in the process I was freezing my teeth and obtaining a stomach ache.

I finally pushed through the blizzard

and made it to my last third of Diet Coke.

I began to chug, but was shortly interrupted with a burping fit. The combination of chilidog, blizzard, and all the carbonation had provoked some belches that couldn’t be stopped. Thankfully only my friend was there to witness this scene of a girl burping while covered in chili and ice cream, but I’m pretty sure it would have put me in the Ripley’s Believe it or Not for most disgusting way to eat a meal.

Luckily this didn’t last too long and I was able to finish the soda at 4 minutes and 24 seconds. It was done and I had won! Of course I didn’t feel like jumping up and down right after this win. In fact I wanted nothing more than to throw up or have my stomach removed, but I was feeling pretty good on the inside. The first challenge was over and I never had to eat a chili cheese dog again.

To be fair to Dairy Queen, the chili-cheese dog wasn’t too terrible. All of my observations came from the perspective of someone who is a little biased, and not a chili dog fan from the start. And while I probably won’t be having the mint Oreo blizzard for a little while, I plan on keeping up my usual schedule of visiting Dairy Queen multiple times

a week.

In closing I would like to carry out a Communicator tradition of giving out a few thanks and apologies. I would like to thank Dairy Queen for all the joy/ice cream it brings to my life and for providing a solid food challenge. I apologize for sharing some negative insights on their chilidog. It really isn’t that bad. I would also like to thank my friend/photographer, Hadeline, for her inspiration, support, and pictures. I do apologize for that burping fit. I am so sorry you had to witness something so disgusting.

Lastly, I want to thank Casey for his year of Casey Vs. Food as inspiration. Casey if you’re reading this, and I don’t expect you to be, I’m sorry that I beat you in that cake challenge, and I’m sorry for rubbing it in and reminding everyone that I beat you.

Hope college is treating you well, and let’s have Kelly babysit you again. And to everyone reading this, I’m sorry for this last paragraph as it probably was not relevant to a majority of you.

So I will leave you all with this: please don’t try to eat ice cream really fast. It’s very painful. Until next time: Eliza-1 Food-0.

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laura raynor keeps the stories alive

a local storyteller reaps the rewards of sharing her love of reading hannah rubenstein

T

he first story that Laura Pershin Raynor remembers hearing was after her first day of Kindergarten.

Her father asked how old she was, and when she responded that she was five, he said, “Huh. When I was your age, I was six.”

Despite the comical opening line, the story that he told became the first of many family tales that would inspire Raynor to apply for a job as an Outreach Librarian at the Ann Arbor District Public Library in 1974.

“When I got the job here, I lied in an interview,” Raynor said. “My boss-to-be asked me, ‘Do you tell stories?’ And I think he meant, ‘Can you read stories to children?’

He used the word tell, and I said ‘Of course I do!’ I was thinking, ‘I don’t know. Do I?’” Telling almost-funny jokes is not the only time that Raynor’s father has played a substantial part in her stories. Leonard Pershin was always a prankster, resulting in more

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than enough material to fill her tales.

“He really did make trickery into a major hobby,” Raynor said. “It wasn’t just that he was a natural born trickster; he took it seriously. He used resources and supplies.”

In her stories, she talks about the time when her father nailed quarters into the pavement outside her college dorm so she could laugh at passing pedestrians who attempted to pick up the coins, or when he drilled a hole in the floor and pretended to be fishing for salmon in the basement to scare away one of his beloved daughter’s new boyfriends.

“My mom wasn’t speaking to him the night when I brought that new boy home, because he had literally drilled a hole in the floor, in her floor,” she said, smiling.

Although Raynor’s stories feature some crazy family adventures, she draws a lot of her inspiration from the stories of her grandparents, which came long before

her time. Her Grandmother, Dinah, emigrated from Russia in 1910 to America, where an arranged marriage was waiting for her. According to Raynor, it is typical for immigrants to tell stories about their lives to make a point about the trials they have faced, and the fact that they overcame them.

“Sitting at her knee and listening. . . I felt that urgency in the stories, and I think that was my motivation,” she said. “I grew up in a boring suburb. My grandmother had a really interesting life. . . I felt like I wanted to hold on to those memories, and the way to do it was to keep the stories alive.”

Over the years, she has become a kind of celebrity within Ann Arbor. She can be found telling stories at the downtown library every Monday through Wednesday, as well as other venues, such as local events or festivals. She has also recorded many of her own family stories, which are available

on CD. “I’m the big fish in the little pond in Ann Arbor, but I’m not a very ambitious, out-there storyteller,” Raynor said. Her loyalty to the local community was clear, not only because of how comfortable she is in the library, but her general attitude toward her job. “This is my career,” she said, gesturing around to the library as a constant cycle of children filed into the Youth Center with their parents, tapping on the fish tank glass and going to look for the hidden fairy door.

Even though she may not be known internationally, she recalls a few times in her life when she has been recognized in public by families who used to come to her storytellings.

Some of these recognitions take place more regularly in local places, like a grocery store or restaurant, but others were more obscure. One time, she was staying on Ocracoke Island off the coast of North Carolina, vacationing with a fellow storyteller, Donald Davis. It was a cloudy evening and they were washing the sand off of their feet when they were interrupted by a passing young man who gasped, “Story Lady?”

“That’s an extreme example, but yes, it happens all the time,” Raynor said.

Raynor finds that the connection that she forms with individual people or audiences to be her favorite thing about telling stories.

“What I enjoy most is that I can tell the same story 200 times and it’s different every time because of the mood of the audience, or the size of the audience, or what I’m bringing to the story that particular day, or where someone laughs where they’ve never laughed before. It’s very unpredictable and very intimate.”

According to Raynor, there is some strategy to taking creative liberties with stories. She said she doesn’t change anything if she’s reading directly out of a book, while her personal stories have been changed a lot. The telling of folktales, however, seems to be more complex.

“I try to be as true as I can to the culture, but take liberties with the story because I know, before I read that story in a book, it had changed 500 times. That’s what folklore is,” she said. “It’s a constantly moving thing, which is so cool. A story survives if it changes to adapt to the time of the telling.”

While Raynor has passion for the rewards that directly relate to her job, her love of storytelling goes far beyond her career. The overlap of her professional life and her personal interests is a blessing to both her and the community. Many young people in Ann Arbor fondly remember Raynor and her zest for telling stories.

favorite stories.

student memories.

The Banza: “I love how the little

goat finds her inner strength through friendship in this Haitian tale. The kids really respond when she gets fierce and starts to sing.”

The Vigananee and the Tree Toad: “There is something so satisfy-

ing about the tiny tree toad overcoming the scary monster. She uses her head and tricks him. People, who feel powerless at times, love to see the good ole underdog come through.”through.

Go to Sleep, Gecko: “I love how

ecological this old story is. And, of course everyone giggles at Buffalo who thinks he is being so good by leaving his huge ‘piles’ in the road. This is an example of a story with a strong message delivered in a delightful and hilarious manner.”

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: “What could be

funnier than all the animals vying for love of a cockroach? Que bonita!”

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock: “Trickster stories are

the best because they have been told to children over the generations to show them how not to behave.

So much more fun than a didactic tale.”

Ruby Lowenstein

Miles Schwarz

“I got her books on tape, of her stories, and I used to listen to them in the car.”

“I remember being [at the library], listening to her stories like every other day.”

Eve ZikmundFisher “She had a very good storytelling voice.”

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which teacher are you? hannah tschirhart eleanor olsen drawing ada banks photos

Your friends are...

A. athletic and goofy B. good people who just like to hang C. tight knit D. nerdy jocks

STEVE

What do you do on Friday nights?

A. Hang out downtown with friends B. Chill with your friends and maybe play some basketball C. Spend time with your boyfriend/girlfriend D. You’re probably on a field kicking or throwing around a ball on a team What do you want to be when you grow up?

A. Veterinarian B. Pole Vaulter C. Violinist or dancer D. I don’t really know but my parents do

You spend the most time thinking about...

A. the people you love B. trying not to think about anything C. family/issues to resolve D. how to improve yourself

Which movie would you watch?

A. Drop Dead Fred B. Lord of the Rings C. Body Heat D. The Wizard of Oz

When you’re blasting music it’s most likely...

A. The Beatles B. Folk C. Classical D. Trip Hop

Your favorite time of day is...

A. the morning B. the early morning C. anytime, as long as it’s been a productive day D. the early early morning 40

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If you answered mostly D you are most similar to Steve Coron.

If you answered mostly C you are most similar to Judith DeWoskin.

If you answered mostly B you are most similar to Ed Kulka.

If you answered mostly A you are most similar to Courtney Kiley.

JUDITH

ED

COURTNEY

land of equality four art pieces on american controversial topics

A

merica has long regarded itself as a guardian of freedom and equality, however we have had issues with discriminating against anyone who is not an old white man. And even then sometimes, persecution continues to grow. The first painting in the series is entitled “Religion.” It depicts Henry Ford as a Hasidic Jew, commenting on Ford’s anti-semitic policies despites America’s vision of religious freedom. The second painting, called “Race,” is of Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, on the cover of Ebony Magazine. Sterling was recently involved in

artwork: acrylic on cardstock.

eleanor olson

a scandal after a recording of him making extremely racist comments came to light.

As many players on the team are black, he was asked to resign and sell the team. Next to his portrait is the Clipper’s logo, but instead it reads The Los Angeles Crackers, because that’s what Sterling seems to want his team to be. The third painting is a victim of domestic abuse painted on top of an NFL football player. Entitled “Gender,” this piece is different from the others in a few ways. The woman painted does not represent one person, but the collective past, present, and future victims. There is also no logo on this painting because the NFL is not the only organization to have issued

involving abuse, although it has struggled quite a bit. Lastly, the final painting “Sexual Orientation,” shows the face of Pascal Tessier, the first openly gay youth to be an Eagle Scout, painted on top of a promotional photograph for the Boy Scouts. Above him, the Boy Scout logo is painted in purple rather than blue, with a rainbow flag instead of the American Flag, and equality symbols instead of stars. On his uniform, there is also an equality symbol and a rainbow sash.

The series ends on this more positive note, as LGBTQ rights are making progress in the world. The entire series is painted with acrylic paint on printed photographs. th e com municator 41

after ferguson. where are we going from here? eva rosenfeld

S

ince the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO in August, race relations have been brought to the forefronts of American media in liberal and conservative outlets alike. In the past several years, with the media exposure of similar incidents, and George Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2013, perhaps there will be a lasting effect on America’s social mindset.

The media inherently serves as a filter in how these events are perceived by the American public. Ann Arbor student and facilitator of the student group SEED (Students Educating Each other about Diversity) Micah Johnson-Levy believes that while it’s important that issues are brought to light, elements of the media coverage may be doing more harm than good.

“The way that we’ve covered specific incidents is as if these incidents are very singular and don’t happen very often, even though it’s constant,” said Johnson-Levy.

“With Ferguson, a community finally stood up and said something, but it’s not like these arrests and shootings aren’t happening all the time.”

The American mindset is fleeting, she pointed out. Like the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, incidents are largely forgotten once they are no longer discussed.

“This is one of those moments where they’re still talking about it...but a year goes by and there’s not another highlighted incident, even though it’s continually happen-

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ing, people are going to think, wow, Ferguson has passed, we’re all equal again,” she said. “That was a weird isolated incident of racism! Good thing we’re back to our black president and having everything be ok.”

She advocated that these events be covered in a way that focuses less on sensationalization and dramatization and more on actually making people understand the underlying issues.

Some more conservative sources argue the opposite: that the media is creating a broader issue where one doesn’t exist.

Rush Limbaugh, the host of the most widely listened to radio talk show in America, addressed the shooting of Dillon Taylor, a twenty-year-old white man shot by a black officer in Utah this August, and complained that this shooting received significantly less media attention than the shooting of Michael Brown. He attributed this discrepancy to a liberal worldview.

“In the current climate in the United States a black person can never be the oppressor, and a white person can never be a victim,” said Limbaugh on his show.

On a later segment, Limbaugh insisted that a greater number of black-on-white crimes occur than the reverse, but that would never be reported, and “certainly not while they’re trying to build a myth in St. Louis,” he said, implying that the commentary on racism is intended to support this “liberal worldview.”

University of Michigan professor Peggy McIntosh wrote an essay in 1989 called

“White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” that has since been often cited to define exactly how white privilege affects our society today. In the weeks following Ferguson, Peter Lachance for the Bucks County Courier Times published a piece denouncing this essay and expressing a similar viewpoint as Limbaugh, which is that the liberal media capitalize on race issues to feed their own democratic agenda.

“The ‘white privilege’ banner has been raised high since recent events in Ferguson, MO,” wrote Lachance. “It’s only white-onblack crime that provides a surefire mechanism for generating voter interest in the Democrat party.”

As McIntosh describes white privilege in her essay, there are “positive advantages, which we can work to spread, and negative types of advantage, which unless rejected will always reinforce our present hierarchies.” In the incident of Ferguson, one positive advantage that should be spread to everyone is the ability to leave your house without being attacked, and one negative advantage that reinforces our present hierarchies is the ability to get away with racially-based attacks.

Contrary to Limbaugh and Lachance, Johnson-Levy believes that the systemic racism surrounding events like Ferguson are not just a “myth” or a “mechanism.”

Some argue that this criminalization is justified, that black men do get put in jail more. But Johnson-Levy argues that this is a cyclical issue.

“Because of the fact that they’re thrown in jail more easily because they’re black men. And it’s just not recognizing that these cycles are continuing and making the problem worse and worse.”

Additionally, she said, even when these cycles are recognized, they are accepted, which leads to inaction.

“Communities have accepted that black people are stereotyped as being criminals. People have accepted that a black man around the age of twenty who’s uneducated is more likely to be incarcerated than get a job. People have accepted that, so they’re not saying as much anymore.”

So in order to combat these societal biases, they must be both recognized and actively protested. And the conservative perspective that denies their existence is not the only one hindering that.

“I think the thing white America and America in general is most at fault in, es-

“This is one of those moments where they’re still talking about it...but a year goes by and there’s not another highlighted incident, even though it’s continually happening, people are going to think, wow, Ferguson has passed, we’re all equal again.”

“This is a directed incident because of a factor of this person’s identity,” she said.

“I think we often look at things happening like, ‘oh, this is just a crime.’ Well, it’s a crime that was committed because of these reasons... It’s the internal criminalization of all black men.

pecially living in a place like liberal Ann Arbor, is this false feeling of understand everything. When really, because people are so sure they already know things, they’re not actively seeking out new knowledge and experiences,” said Johnson-Levy. “There’s this general idea that we’ve come so far and we’ve educated ourselves, to the point that we no longer need to act like we’re ignorant, even though that exact mindset is leading ignorance to be just common and everywhere.”

She also said that it can be difficult for a group who isn’t directly affected by an event to feel validated saying anything, and that people need to become more comfortable getting into discussions and learning about something that may not directly affect them, but affects the society they live in.

If nothing else, Johnson-Levy hopes that what Americans are taking from Ferguson and other racially motivated attacks is a wake-up call out of passivity.

“If things continue to be too passive it’s easy enough to just sweep it under the rug,” she said. “So I think that people need to start actively fighting for something. Every time an innocent black person gets shot or arrested, people need to be talking about it. Not just the one time a community says, hold up, this is wrong. What’s happening in Ferguson could be happening in 30 places right now.”

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why people need to stop asking about college madeline halpert

eleanor olson illustration

L

ast week I had to miss class for a doctor’s appointment, half the time of which I ended up discussing my college plans. My doctor spent about five minutes asking about my health, and then thought it would be a great idea to ask the question that I have come to dread: “Where are you applying to college?” Like so many other adults in my life, she thought it was of interest to me to discuss what I plan to do with the next four years of my life. She presumed that I need to know, and do know, exactly where I want to go to college, what I want to major in, what types of food I’d like to eat there and what I plan to do with the next 20 years of my life after that. She then proceeded to inform me that this is the most stressful time in the entirety of my life, and it probably won’t get much better in college.

Although she was well-intentioned in asking about my college plans, she also probably did not consider that it is one of the most stressful topics for high school seniors to discuss– especially since we already get asked this about ten times a day.

But she was not thinking about this. She was looking for a twenty second answer, of

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which I had to fit every school I’m considering applying to without a second to take a breath. Many seniors, and even juniors, have experienced similar situations daily.

This daunting question seems to be the only topic worthy of discussion between people: peers, parents, friends of parents, practically anyone who knows you’re applying to college.

Seniors are entering possibly the most difficult time of their lives: trying to balance loads of homework along with a sea of college essays and applications. On top of all of this work, there is a serious amount of uncertainty that surrounds the college application process. When adults try to relate to this work and worry, it often rubs off as insensitive. Hearing “It’ll get better!” or “You’ll totally get in!” from a person who just doesn’t know if it will get easier, or if you can get into the incredibly selective school of your choice, is not in any way comforting; it’s dismissive.

Whether or not these questions are well-intentioned is debatable. There are the people who are genuinely curious as to where you will go to school. There are also the parents who are looking for a good comparison to their own children.

And there are the few peers who are just looking to see how much money you spent on an ACT prep course, and where it will inevitably get you into college. Regardless of the intention, it’s best to just not bring up the topic.

So what makes for better small talk than the weather or college admissions? Pretty much anything else. For example, you could ask: “What subjects are you passionate about at school?”; “What do you like to do outside of school?”; “How do you like to spend your time?” or, if you still can’t get away from that tempting college topic, “I understand this process is stressful. How are you handling it?”

While the college question can be well-meaning, it is also incredibly stress-inducing. The next time you find yourself at a family friend’s house or struggling to make five minutes of small talk with a high school senior, think before you ask. Does she really need to know what she wants to do with the next four years of her life? Would it be stressful for you to bring up? Is there a better question you could be asking? Undoubtedly, there is.

the marriage message matthew ferraro

On Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, the Supreme Court denied even the honor of oral arguments to the plaintiffs. They sent a shockingly brief message to the nation--the argument about same-sex marriage in the United States is over.

The Supreme Court sent that message by declining to hear five cases from five different states, all involving whether same-sex couples had a constitutional right to marry, and in doing so brought equality to millions. To all it was the death knell of the legal discrimination of same-sex couples.

On that Oct. 6, there were 19 states in the union and the District of Columbia that recognized same-sex marriages. As of Oct. 20, two weeks later, there are 32 states and D.C. where same-sex marriage is the law, and bans in three more states are expected to fall in the next few days or weeks.

When the Supreme Court denied to hear those five cases (from Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana, Wisconsin and Virginia) the court barely made a statement, but rather let the lower appellate court rulings stand.

To those who have fought to prevent same-

sex couples from marrying: it’s over. While 32 is not 50, the fact that we, proponents of same-sex marriage, got to 32 in two weeks is a sure sign that national protection for samesex marriage is coming, and the wave of bans passed in the early 2000s will be labeled “unconstitutional” and discarded. Civil liberties will out.

The idea of same-sex couples marrying is new in historical terms. For centuries the idea that same-sex couples would come together in public was repugnant to most in society. LGBT people have been fighting for their rights for centuries, and though I would have liked a sweeping ruling, I’m willing to live with the slow but triumphant way the Supreme Court began to destroy marriage bans on October 6.

State-by-state. Case-by-case. One victory after another. A slap in the face each time to those who have denied us our rights because of their personal prejudice which have no place in the modern age.

I can’t help but smile every time a ban falls, and give a little whoop in solidarity with the people of each state.

an attitude of gratitude?

Sadly, Michigan is one of the last 18 states with bans still standing. After the case from Michigan (DeBoer v. Snyder) was heard along with lawsuits from Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio on August 6, the Federal Court of Appeals for the sixth circuit has yet to make a decision.

Having my state be one of the last to legalize is an interesting feeling. While I would love to wave a wand and enshrine same-sex marriage legally, Michigan’s case also has the opportunity to be the case actually heard by the Supreme Court. The one that decides the question (although I believe proponents of same-sex marriage have already won) once and for all with all of the proper legal arguments.

To the Sixth Circuit judges, I simply say make a ruling and make it now. If the Sixth Circuit rules against the bans, same-sex marriage will become legal within days of that decision, and if they rule in favor of the bans, the Supreme Court will likely hear the case, and the 50 state threshold will likely be reached by June.

eleanor olson illustration

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author rachel dewoskin reads blind

matty hack rachel dewoskin photo courtesy

R

achel DeWoskin can read in the dark. This ability was her ultimate goal as a child, but it only recently became necessary for her. DeWoskin can still read in daylight perfectly well. She learned Braille not to make up for a visual impairment, but to experience the frustration faced by the protagonist of her novel. On Sept. 12, 2014, DeWoskin gave a reading of her new young adult novel, Blind, at Nicola’s Books. DeWoskin is a Community High School alumna and the daughter of CHS English teacher Judith DeWoskin.

Blind follows fifteen-year-old Emma Sasha Silver, who has lost her eyesight in a tragic accident. Emma, one of seven siblings, struggles with how to live in a sight-oriented world as a normal teenager. Just as Emma is about to begin regular high school again, one of her classmates is found dead, most likely by suicide. Emma, who has not fully returned to her own mental stability, takes it upon herself to explore the meaning behind her friend’s death. Through Emma’s sightless eyes, DeWoskin explores the existential and psychological effects of blind-

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ness.

DeWoskin was inspired to write about a blind protagonist by one of her children’s books.

“My children have a beautiful children’sbook called The Black Book of Colors,” said DeWoskin. “It’s a Venezuelan book, and the entire book is black, and the images are invisible, but you can feel them.”

As DeWoskin read the book to her children, she began to wonder how she would experience it if she could not read the text, but only read by deciphering the Braille and feeling the images. She began to wonder about what would happen if one of her children were blind.

“How would we cope? And how would we talk about color? And would our memories remain visual?” DeWoskin said. “I made up Emma Sasha Silver in order to explore some of those questions I found riveting.”

DeWoskin never went as far as blindfolding herself while writing the book, but she took profound extra steps in order to better understand a world without sight. She spent eight months swimming blindfolded,

an experience she found terrifying.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about the dark, and whether there are ways to think about the dark that makes it comforting, rather than scary,” DeWoskin said.

While writing Blind, DeWoskin also visited the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, an organization devoted to finding employment for blind or visually impaired people. There, she met with Jim Kesteloon, the president emeritus of the Lighthouse.

From Kesteloon, DeWoskin learned about the experiences and fears faced by visually impaired teenagers. One crucial theme of the novel that DeWoskin learned from Kesteloon is the fundamental fear of blind teenagers that they cannot support themselves or anyone else, and can therefore never be lovable.

“I realized… that’s the fundamental fear of all human beings, right? That we’re not lovable. And so the way to cope with whatever your impossible context is, is to find the things that make you lovable, and the people who love you, and hold on.”

Kesteloon’s more individual experiences

also influenced the character of Sebastian, one of Emma’s friends and a central character in Blind.

Kesteloon’s parents allowed him to take his driver’s test when he turned sixteen, knowing he would fail.

“I gave that story to Sebastian because I think it’s such a beautiful story about parenting,” DeWoskin said.

She joked about how she isn’t as good a parent as Kesteloon’s.

“I couldn’t even let Emma Sasha Silver ride her bike, [instead] I let her go out into the garage and sit on her bike.”

Kesteloon was also a main editor of DeWoskin’s manuscript, and she described him as “a dream reader.”

During DeWoskin’s research, she learned that, despite modern technological advances, knowing how to read Braille is still a necessary skill for the visually impaired. Not only did DeWoskin show Emma how to read Braille, but she taught herself, as well.

Many parts of learning Braille were a revelation for DeWoskin.

“As a little kid, my goal used to be to trick my parents and read past the time when I was supposed to turn the lights out. I had a lot of strategies for that, all of which were failures,” DeWoskin said. “Most notable was the idea at our farm we visited during summers that I would fill a jar with fireflies, which, a– died, and b– didn’t light enough under the covers.”

Finally, through Braille, DeWoskin found a method of reading in the dark.

Learning Braille was also, however, a highly frustrating experience for DeWoskin.

“It was extremely difficult for me, and made much easier by cheating.”

Though DeWoskin could easily memorize the Braille patterns visually, she found it “nearly impossible” to read the language with her eyes closed.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about it and working through it and experiencing enormous levels of frustration. Even though I had no excuse,” DeWoskin said.

She tapped into this frustration to create a realistic learning experience for Emma, for whom Braille is a necessity.

DeWoskin read three excerpts

from Blind, which show Emma both answering some of DeWoskin’s initial questions, and asking some of her own. In one of the excerpts, DeWoskin read Emma’s musings about the word “blind” itself.

“I hadn’t noticed what an odd and colorless word it is, how it can suck the meaning out of whatever it attaches to: Blind love? Blind rage? Blind faith? Why are those the unthinking kinds? And who’s more lost or hopeless than the blind leading the blind? The most amazing love happens at first what? Right, sight. Seriously?”

Several CHS students attended the reading, including senior Mari Milkie, who is about halfway through Blind and is greatly enjoying it.

“She has beautiful descriptions, and she also knows how to get inside the heads of teenagers to describe what’s happening,” Milkie said. “[She’s] the perfect reader.

She read it almost like it was poetry, which made it even more alive.”

Junior Hannah Tschirhart also attended the reading, and plans on starting to read Blind soon.

“Hearing the excerpts that she read was awesome, and it really made me want to read the book,” she said.

“One of the things that I found really impressive was that [DeWoskin] learned Braille. That was really cool and I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been,” Tschirhart added.

Milkie, meanwhile, was impressed with DeWoskin’s choice to visit the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind.

“I thought it was really important that she went out and did all that research,” she said.

DeWoskin has already embarked on her next novel. “[It’s] set in 1940 Shanghai,” she said. “It’s about a Jewish girl, a seventeen-year-old young woman, and her dad, who escape from Warsaw and end up in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, where they wait out the war, hoping for her mom to return.”

If DeWoskin returns to Ann Arbor for a reading of her next novel, she can count on a big crowd.

Over a hundred people attended the Blind reading, and rose to their feet at its conclusion.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about the dark, and whether there are ways to think about the dark that makes it comforting, rather than scary.”

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meowing under the hood

sophia werthmann eleanor olson illistration

W

hen Jamie Taylor pulled into an Indiana rest stop and saw a silver sedan with its hood up, she thought it was just a mechanical failure. It was Sept. 14, and Taylor had left earlier day from Ann Arbor, Mich., and was on her way to her home in Illinois.

As she was walking back to her car from the rest area building, she heard the sound of a cat crying coming from the silver car.

Taylor walked over to see what was wrong, and learned that a cat was trapped inside the hood. Just three people were at the vehicle: an elderly woman, Taylor, and the owner of the car, all of them strangers to one another.

The old woman, who left soon after, told Taylor she had been praying to Saint Francis.

The car owner, a dark-haired, heavyset caucasian man, wearing a white polo t-shirt and dark pants, had already driven for about one or two hours that morning, with the knowledge of the cat’s location.

He didn’t know the kitten, and according to Taylor, before the man had left, he had opened the hood of his car and spotted it inside. She said the man told her, “I could’ve grabbed him, but I was afraid he was gonna bite me, because I used to get bitten by feral cats ‘cause I used to torture them.” When the kitten crawled deeper into the car, he had closed the hood and gotten onto I-94, eventually stopping at the same rest area Taylor had.

For warmth, the man thought that the cat might have crawled up into the engine area the night before or that morning.

The man told Taylor that he had called the police and animal rescue at the rest stop, but “they said they wouldn’t do anything.”

When Taylor called different places for help, she didn’t have any luck either.

Standing above the car, Taylor spotted the cat’s eyes, but judged that the best way to remove the kitten was to access it from

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underneath the vehicle. But the car was too low to the ground; Taylor couldn’t even get her head under. To be able to fit, she speculated that they needed to jack the car up, but she wasn’t comfortable doing so.

The man disagreed with her theory. She said he told her, “I’m not a mechanic, but I know engines, and there’s no space down there to get him out.”

At some point, Taylor, who owns three cats, even tried luring the kitten out with some catnip she had in her car.

“He was just gonna keep driving, but he had a long drive ahead, and he said, ‘I’m pretty sure the cat’s gonna die, and I also don’t want the cat to ruin my engine,’” Taylor said.

The man also rejected her offer to pay for a tow truck.

“I was imagining it would have to be a tow truck getting it lifted up pretty high,” she explained.

The car owner repeated that he wanted to go. She told him, “Look, just please give me five more minutes.”

Taylor then jogged over to the truck area of the rest stop, and stopped at the first vehicle: a green cab with a white container on its flatbed.

“For some reason, I thought maybe a trucker would have a jack,” she said. She knocked on the truck, and a man with short greying hair opened the door. Taylor explained the situation to him, and he agreed to help.

The trucker provided a jack, and put it into place. Taylor and the trucker slinked under the car, and he was able to grab the small inky-black kitten.

The car owner offered to take it to the humane society, but Taylor didn’t trust him.

He allowed her to take the cat instead.

She asked the trucker if he had a box, and he did, which he cut air holes in with a tool

he had in his pocket. The cat was put inside the box. Taylor cleaned out the top of a peanut butter jar and poured water in it for the cat.

Instead of proceeding to Illinois, she decided she was going to drive back to Ann Arbor, where she and her partner have another home.

“There’s space in our condo here [in Ann Arbor], there aren’t cats here, and if he needed to convalesce for a while, he could do that,” she explained. “And if I needed to find a placement, I have more friends here.”

The rest stop was just outside of Michigan, and it took her about two and a half hours to get back to Ann Arbor, stopping only once to check on the kitten. Determining what to do wasn’t easy however. Before and while she drove, she debated her plan of action.

During the trip, the kitten cried in the passenger seat, and Taylor kept her hand in the box with him. She would sing a part of “Hush Little Baby”, and the kitten would fall asleep.

Taylor had done a quick check over the kitten before leaving the rest area, but didn’t realize he was injured before she got back to Michigan.

“I drove him back as fast as I could, and took him to an emergency vet [in Ann Arbor], and they said his front pads were badly burned.” The cat’s front legs were wrapped up in bandages, and it made it hard for him to move.

The cat was only a pound and a half, and the veterinarian estimated that he was only about 6 weeks old.

Taylor nurtured the kitten for several days following its rescue.

“I’m always amazed by the resilience of animals and humans and infants. I think it’s pretty astounding what people and creatures can go through and still push through and be happy,” she said.

picture this

RECALLING INFLUENTIAL LOVED ONES THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS

Jeanette Wilson

Eliza Upton never got to meet her great grandmother, but she carries something of her great grandmother’s everyday: her name.

Eliza’s middle name, Wilson, was her great grandmother’s maiden name and her grandfather’s middle name. When Eliza’s parents chose names for all their children, it was important to them that they incorporated family into the names. Eliza’s older brother’s middle name is also their father’s, grandfather’s, and great grandfather’s. Her sister’s first name is also the first name of their grandmother, and her middle name is also the maiden name of their other grandmother.

Having the middle name Wilson makes Eliza happy. She likes the uniqueness of it and it makes her feel connected to her grandfather and great grandmother. She’s proud to be related to both of them and represent them with the name Wilson.

Most people refer to Eliza as Eliza or Liza, but at her camp, a lot of people call her Wilson. This started when her counselor was also named Eliza. It got too confusing, so they started using middle and last names to refer to one another. Her friends really liked to use Wilson, and it has stuck ever since.

“I think names are kind of a weird thing when you think about them,” Eliza said. “But I like them and I like how people can relate themselves to names. I do like my name and I love Wilson. If I ever have a band it will be named Willy and the Earbuds.”

Gabe & Marcelo Salas

Gabe Salas and his older brother, Marcelo, have never had a typical or predictable relationship. Gabe hasn’t always seen eye to eye with Marcelo. Even now, they argue about silly things, and here and there a few pushes and shoves have gone around.

But as they’ve matured as young men, their relationship has blossomed.

Like any siblings, the two fight. Gabe remembers a time when they were much younger when he would throw up on Marcelo when he was angry. Despite these times, Gabe really values having the ability to talk to his brother about anything without feeling judged.

Attending Community High School together has brought the brothers even closer. Marcelo is always there for whatever Gabe needs, whether it is help with homework, a ride to school, or simply getting some food together. These little things never fail to make Gabe happy and bring the two closer together. th e com municator

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chs digital photo “We’re talking about framing– how you frame your subject. So there’s different ways to frame your subject, [who is] in this case a person, but I narrowed it down to ‘frame them by nature or frame them by architecture.’ That was one prompt. The other one was ‘a sense of place.’ So when the viewer looks at the photograph, can they transport themselves to that place? Can they get an idea of what it was like to be there?”

-Steve Coron, digital photo teacher

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art throb

“I looked at a copy of Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, the cover of the American version. It was censored. It has a man’s face with a red head, I think it’s sort of like he’s bleeding from the mind.”

-Michael June