December 16 by Viking Longboat

12.16.2011 haslett high school

PORTSIDE

LPSB

viking LONGBOAT

QB team successful

5450 marsh road haslett mi 48840

@#$%*

Haslett sees fewer days Off by jordan SCOTT

&%@##$

The quizbowl team has had a very productive season. French teacher Alison Dykman is the coach for the varsity and junior varsity teams. “We practice every Monday after school,” junior Tessa Clarizio of the varsity team said. The varsity quiz bowl team won the championship tournament. After this season there is no doubt that this motivated team is going places.

volume 17 issue 4

Thirty to 21. That’s the difference in number of days off, half and full, on average for schools in the Lansing area compared to Haslett. DeWitt has 24, East Lansing 35, and Okemos a surprising 48. Why do most schools in the Lansing area average 10 more days off than Haslett? “It seems a bit messed up” senior Calvin Mills said. “and a bit unfair.” Several students agree with Mills, especially bringing to bear the lack of half days. Looking specifically at half days, Haslett trails every school in the area.

ACT Prep

For all students, junior year means taking the MME and the ACT in March. In addition to being the base of college acceptance, ACT scores also help students receive scholarships. ACT.org has many resources available for students. The website advises getting plenty of sleep and eating a good breakfast before the exam. Students can take the ACT as many times as they want.

BENEATH DECK

What’s On Deck? • December 19January 2 No School, Winter Break • January 3 Classes Resume • January 5 Haslett Foundation Donation Day •January 9 Haslett Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m • January 12 Band Boosters 7 p.m • January 16 No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day • January 17 Ralya Market Day 5 p.m - 6p.m

graphic by erik FROBOM

Bullying Predicament

New legislation, new policies, same bullying

Bros vs. Hipsters vs. Jocks Pages 5-7

by phil PRESCHER

In the last decade five Michigan students have taken their own lives as a result of the constant and sometime horrifying harassment from fellow classmates, according to Kevin Epling whose son was one of the deceased. While harassment of any kind has never been acceptable at any school, some schools don’t have policies on how to prevent and deal with bullying. Others have policies, but simply don’t know how to deal with the issue. Haslett and many other schools in the state have policies in place that meet the requirements of the new anti-bullying law voted in December 6.

BULLYING on page 4

Student council gift-giving Page 12

December 16, 2011

The CREW

STAFF EDITORIAL:

wrote the bill without this clause. The fact that the Senate sneakily passed this bill with that clause outraged citizens and captured the nation’s attention. This would allow students to bully other students based on anything they believe or any lifestyle they choose to follow. Religion cannot and will not ever be a justififiable reason to bully a fellow student. Just because someone doesn’t believe in what you believe, or does something that doesnt go along with your religion doesn’t give you a free pass to subjec them to physical or mental torture. However, people also bully others to make themselves feel better. It doesn’t always necessaribly have to be about differences in opinion, belief, or moral convictions.

No matter who you are, no matter where you live, there will always be at least one person who disagrees with what you believe in or dislikes you for who you are, who you are sexually attracted to, or even what race you are. Accept this fact. Lack of acceptance of this fact causes ignorance, hate, and other negative emotions which leads to hatred and bullying. We need to agree to disagree. If we just accept the fact that we’re all different, and that will always be the case. No matter what politicians do to press their agenda and appease their base, or what people do to appease their god, bullying is just plain wrong. graphic by maggie TURNEY

editor-in-chiefs Travis Stirewalt & Lauren Hooper photography editor Sierra Dove opinions editor Maggie Turney sports editor Shane Heston sports writer Adam Foren features editor Jill Detwiler

copy editor Phil Prescher graphics editor Erik Frobom web manager Austin Rosenbaum ad managers Kristen Everhardt & Logan Milliman adviser Julie Price

STAFF Laine Alexander Quinn Alexander Nick Andreson Amy Baumgartner Jeremy Burton Caitlin Eddy Reid Fowler Patrick Gifford Tirzah Harter Nick Lemmer Griffin Marinez

Nicholas McPhee Alex Murshak Tanay Salpekar Shelby Savage Josh Sawyer Jordan Scott Kurstian Shooltz Asha Sultani Morgan Underwood Emily Virkus Rory Youngs

The Viking Longboat is a monthly publication of Haslett High School, 5450 Marsh Road, Haslett, MI 48840. It is published by the fifth hour Newspaper Production class and Journalism class. The Longboat has been established as a student run public forum circulated within the school and to subscribers in the community and outside the school district. The Longboat is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. The publication is an eighttime Spartan award winner and CSPA gold medalist. Letters to the editor are accepted at the discretion of the editorial board. Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be published. Letters must be signed by the author and may be edited for grammar, spelling and style. Direct all questions to the Publications Room, Room 411.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

to bullying. Also, according to studies conducted by Yale University, bullying victims are two to nine times more likely to commit suicide. Other statistics conducted by ABC found that at least 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying and 160,000 students stay home from school because of the fear of being bullied. Bullying isn’t something people have to just deal with. Recently, the Michigan Senate passed a bill that basically said bullying is not tolerable. However, a clause initally hidden in the bill stated verbal bullying is allowed if it is based on a religious or strict moral conviction. Republicans were accused of trying to push an anti-gay agenda. Democrats quickly shot this bill down and Michigan’s House of Representatives re-

pinions

Viking Longboat staff

Bullying never OK; no exceptions We’ve all witnessed bullying. Whether you were the one being bullied or you were the one bullying someone else, it’s affected our lives in some way. As we’ve grown up, we’ve basically grown up with bullying. Most of us don’t report it to an adult. We just keep quiet because it happens to everyone, right? This doesn’t justify anything. Stories about teenagers who have committed suicide as a result of being bullied have been all over the news in the last few years. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among teenagers are related

Let your voice be heard!

Have something to say? Angry, frustrated or downright upset about what we’ve written? Want to build a stronger student voice? Want to tell us how well we’re doing? Write a letter to us! Drop the finished product off in the Publications Room, room 411, for consideration to run the in next issue of the newspaper. Thank you! Letters to the Editor are here to help! We know that you all have issues with different things around the school and in our community. Trust us, we want to hear what YOU have to say. We do NOT accept annonymous letters. If you have an issue with something, you should be able to admit who you are. Letters to the Editor are NOT here for you to simply rip on people, take on the issuses, tell the truth.

pinions

December 16, 2011

Batman; the most realistic superhero other super heroes he isn’t all that super. First of all, let’s be honest, Batman is not a superhero. A superhero is a hero who acquires or is born with some type of unnatural power. For example, Superman, Aqua Man (even though he lacks the hero aspect because conversing with dolphins or jellyfish is by maggie TURNEY just lame), Spiderman and the We all get asked who our Flash all possess a super powhero is when we’re in elemen- er. “But Batman is strong and tary school. can glide and stuff.” True, but While some children you know why he can do those choose their parents or older things? He’s a rich entrepresibling, my hero was someone neur who can afford technolwho isn’t actually real. My ogy simulating a supernatural childhood hero was Batman. skill. He’s in the same catI’m not sure if I just chose egory as Iron Man. The only him as my hero because he reason they can do anything is was known as a “hero” or if because they have more monI just really thought his cape ey than they can handle. Exwas awesome (which it is). cept, Batman’s cool and Iron Apparently, somewhere in my Man is a complete arrogant naive little mind I was con- moron who doesn’t really care vinced he was my hero. for anybody else. Now that I’m 17, I look back I will admit that even on my little kid self and I criti- though Batman isn’t really cize myself. I still love Bat- super, he still has that stealth man, but when analyzed with swag and awesomeness.

When you compare him to the most famous superhero of all, Superman, it’s quite clear who’s more victorious in the awesome department. Superman is basically like, “check out my tight blue uniform and slick black hair destroy this robber unless he has an insanely rare type of mineral.” Cool story bro, tell it again. Guess what Batman’s weakness is? Oh that’s right, he doesn’t have one. Well, technically delegating is his weakness, but that’s a lot more dignified than a rock. Also, Superman’s secret identity is horribly stupid. He looks exactly the way he does when he’s wearing his suit, he just wears glasses and a tie. Way to keep your identity secret. Batman is smart enough to know the easiest way to hide your true identity: a mask. Another aspect of this masked avenger’s awesomeness is the fact he’s smart enough to know that good footwear is essential. It drives me crazy when super heroes

just wear socks. Batman not only wears shoes, he wears boots. These protect his feet from the grime on the pavements or nails in abandoned buildings. Guess who’s not getting tetanus? Not only are the boots smart health wise, they are also a weapon. Getting hit in the face with a boot hurts a lot more than getting hit with socks or the feet of the footie pajama looking suits. Overall, no one fictional character is as awesome as Batman (except for maybe Dumbledore, Voldemort, Gandolf and Neville Longbottom). Maybe I love him a little too much. I have a Batman costume, I have Batman chucks, I own most of the Batman video games (my favorites are the ones for Nintendo 64 and the new one that takes place in Arkham City), and other random objects with his famous black and yellow bat symbol. So, now I might be called a fan girl or a nerd for loving a worthless boy. I might even be

laughed at for my ridiculousness. But the thing is, Batman is much cooler and could destroy Justin Beiber. So which group of fan girls is ridiculous now? However that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Batman is my dark knight and will always be my hero. Still think having a slight obsession with a fictional hero is silly? Come on, lighten up. Why so serious?

graphic by erik FROBOM

Occupy protestors: not so entitled after all

by jill DETWILER

Apparently, we are the “entitled” generation. We are entitled because we expect to be able to go to college without breaking the bank, get great jobs to make money and feed our future families. Throw out the fact that we have more requirements now than any of the people calling us lazy had when they were our age. Four years of math and English, three years of science and social studies, two years of one language, an art credit and a health credit don’t compare to the grueling hours the older generations had to

endure. Those hours smoking in the bathroom, skipping school to go to the beach - the things that REALLY matter in life. That’s what really irks me about today. The older generation tells us to get good grades and a college degree so we won’t end up flipping burgers for the rest of our lives. This generation went through college when it didn’t cost $1,000 for books alone. They grew up when you could walk in some place and get a job right away. It’s obvious times are different. Now there are people who can’t even use their degrees because of the scarcity of jobs in that field. What happens then? Apparently it’s back to flipping burgers- just what every college graduate planned to avoid. But it’s not even specifically our age group that is targeted as “spoiled.” The poor and homeless are, too, considered worthless lumps of crap.

There’s a notion that these people could care less about being poor or homeless- that someone else would take care of them. I understand no one wants to give away their hard-earned money to people who feed off the government. We know there are individuals who take advantage of government handouts. But laziness doesn’t represent the majority. According to John Witt’s 2011 version of SOC, poorness goes in a cycle, starting at education. Most of school funding actually comes from the property taxes of homes in that school’s district. If a person is born to a poor family in a poor neighborhood, they’re going to go to a school with a poor education system. Imagine a school with no AP classes, online courses or Dual Enrollment opportunities. The ability to excel in school is minimal, and the chances of a higher education

are slim. Thus, the person makes a lower income as an adult, has children, and raises them the same way they were brought up. This is why I don’t believe that America is the “land of equal opportunity.” Sure, you always have to work hard to get what you deserve. Sitting on your butt entitles you to nothing. But there’s a glass ceiling over the heads of racial, social and ethnic minorities - even women - that is hard to break. TIME Magazine ran an study about how women earn 77 cents for every dollar men make, despite having the same credentials, same job. This glass ceiling prevents these groups even from advancing in their jobs. Out of the top 2,000 CEOs in the world, only 29 were women. I would like to think we females have the ability to become CEOs, rather than making sandwiches for our men to

keep them happy. We’re pretty dang smart. Being a CEO really isn’t that overrated, either. You get to sit in a room with the perfect temperature on a padded chair, make some phone calls and travel around the world. It beats being a factory worker whose job is extremely dangerous or fatal due to lack of inspection. Plus the bonus of being a CEO? They get paid 350 times the average worker. It’s a pretty sick inequality we have here in America, if you think about it. The fact that one percent owns half of our nation’s wealth is unfathomable. These Fat Cats from huge corporations take tax holidays and use the money to move even the simplest of jobs over to Mexico and Indonesia where they are allowed to avoid inspections and give out 6 cents an hour paychecks. It’s no wonder our unemployment levels have reached 17

percent. Yes, I’m ranting, but for a good reason. As a young person facing the future, I have no idea what to expect. We are living in one of the most economically competitive eras where credentials are in high demand, but not easy to come by. It’s your life chances that play a large role in where you’ll end up. While most of us Haslett kids have been encouraged to go to college since kindergarten, some schools don’t have the motivation or resources to help students get to a higher education. I feel fortunate for how I’ve grown up. But do I feel entitled to it? No way.

graphic by erik FROBOM

ews

December 16th, 2011

Bullying Laws from page 1

The new law, “Matt’s Safe School Law”, is in memory of Matt Epling, son of Kevin Eplin, and the four other students, according to www.mattepling.com. A bill to establish antibullying policies in every school in Michigan has been pushed by the families of the lost students and Governor Snyder, who was a victim of bullying. After the senate passed the bill with a vote of 35-2, Snyder signed the bill with the families and went on to say that he was bullied from elementary school through college. After being the fourtyeighth state to enact a law that requires all schools to have a bullying policy set up, the Michigan Department of Education hopes to lower the rate of harrassment-related deaths in teenagers. It’s a small, but much needed step to tackling

bullying and harrassment in all public schools in Michigan. Haslett High School already has a bullying policy set up since 2003. It defines bullying as “the repeated intimidation, or emotional abuse of other by infliction of harm of any kind to the person or property of other whether real or threatened.” The code also states that bullying is school related if it happens on school grounds or “outside of school hours if the bullying is likely to carry some connection to, or have an effect upon, the school environment.” “We have always had a policy that addressed physical, emotional, mental harassment,” Principal Bart Wegenke said. “For me, that’s what bullying is.” Some students feel that the administration doesn’t have a total grasp on the harrassment in and out of the school. “Bullying just happens way too much without anyone

ever knowing,” junior Clayton Pelot said. “So if the staff doesn’t know about most of it, there isn’t much they can do.” In the original proposal of the bill, it effectively condoned bullying under the appearance of religious faith. Senator Gretchen Whitmer was quick to speak against the religious exemption mentioned in the bill and it was rapidly removed. The law that passed doesn’t include the religious exemption and applies to all groups of people no matter what sex, race, or religion a student is. “Everybody has a right to feel safe and secure in this building at all times,” Wegenke said. All school districts in Michigan must have an anti-bullying policy set up in the next sixth months for the 2012-2013 school year. The bill doesn’t specifically mention cyberbullying but Haslett’s policy includes any type of bullying

Strange veggies by erik FROBOM

In a country whose wealth and lifestyle has gotten out of control and obesity has become a pandemic, steps have been taken in recent years to counter health problems in America. The advent of fast-food, combined with a generation that has become comfortable around meticulous and unrelenting marketing ploys, has done its job to raise the parent-teacher paranoia bar up a few notches. What might further this is a bill drafted by Congress last month that, according to Associated Press reports, classifies the tomato paste on a slice of pizza equal to a serving of vegetables. The well being of the nation’s young people has been of a special concern, as many students fend for themselves at least one meal a day during the school week. Older, teenage students, faced with new found independence and freedom from parental guidance, cannot always be counted on to make healthy decisions. Chris Little is among those who staff the lunch lines at HHS. “We actually do try to expose students to new things. This year we’ve tried some

photo by sierra DOVE

new products,” she said. It is arguable that Congress’ decision to dress up pizza as a vegetable is a scheme to make school lunches meet standards. Little said, “Each day we offer fresh fruit and vegetable, that aren’t dressed up.” However it is still in the hands of the student to decide between a cookie and an apple. “Over the last few years

I’ve seen a trend in students looking for healthier choices,” she said. Regardless of nutritional value, anything to be ingested by choice must first pass the palate exam. Little agrees, saying “while we encourage new things, we’d like the food to taste good, first of all. If it tastes bad no one wants it.”

anywhere on school property. “If it happens outside of school on personal computers, then it’s a law enforcement issue,” Superintendent Michael Duda said. “If something is sent to you outside of school, and spills into school, the school can get involved.” Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have made it easier for students to verbally harass other students behind a computer screen. “I see a lot of people saying #killyourself to other people on Twitter,” Pelot said. Many students have seen bullying in and out of school and have even become victims of bullying. “I always see kids getting bullied in class,” Pelot said. “Sometimes it’s tame and sometimes it’s serious.” The new law hopes to form policies for schools that don’t have one in place and revise ones already in place to meet up to bigger standards.

1 4 out of

58%

haven’t told an adult about something hurtful that happened to them

teens are bullied

Every minutes a child is bullied

85%

43% of students fear being harassed in the bathroom at school

of victims don’t seek intervention

graphic by phil PRESCHER

Source: stompoutbullying.org

Days Off

from page 1

Okemos again leads every school in the area with 18. Okemos, while boasting this many days off, also goes three days later into the school year before getting off on summer break. Even so, Okemos still boasts 10 more total half and full days off than any other school in the area and eight more half days. While students clearly find this statistic unfair, some teachers feel like the number of days off is still not unsatisfactory. “It seems at times that we don’t have enough time to get done with what we need to,” English teacher Arthur Chiaravalli said. The views of the Haslett High School administration contrast those of the students. “I’m in favor of being in school whenever possible,” Principal Bart Wegenke said. “We do have a tough stretch at the start of the year between Labor Day and Thanksgiving Break, but the rest of the year really is manageable.” One common ground that teachers and students share is a belief that there should be more half days, but not for the sake of having days off. Most schools in the area have half days as teacher prep days. Although the days are not for personal teacher prep, the events on the day usually re-

volve around teachers colaborating together for better unity in teaching subjects. “Carving out time for teachers to work together sends an important message,” Chiaravalli said. “And when the time is during school, that message is one of commitment.” In addition Chiaravalli pointed to a current educational trend responsible for Haslett’s lack of half days relative to other school districts. “I believe teachers have been encouraged by the failure is not an option slogan introduced in several districts,” he said. This attitude has encouraged teachers and administration to find success in any way possible, especially in the area of increased education time. According to Wegenke, the overall reason there are not

as many days off is simply because of community views. “Our community is in support of kids being in school,” he said. “It lends itself to everyone being better off in terms of education.” Wegenke also mentioned how Hasletts test scores on the MEAP, MME, ACT and other generalized tests are arguably the best in the area. These results support that the increased time in school is just right for the needs of students. While dissapointed about the lack of days off several students do agree with this statement. “Haslett gives the best education in the area in my opinion,” Mills said. “It kind of sucks but you have to go through it if you want to succed.

More days off on average Lansing Area Schools have than Haslett

The number of days Haslett has off

BROS VS. HIPSTERS VS. JOCKS

HAIR They have that “sick flow.” Letting their long flowing hair peek out from under their hat.

B C lue

December 16, 2011

BROS

VS. HAT Regular snapback hat, making sure that hair is coming through

GLASSES Big, fashionable and oversized or chunky glasses

ompass

HIPSTERS

VS.

HAT Perched precariously , maybe a beanie, beret or any comfy knit hat.

SHIRT Possibly a button down or a graphic tee trying to change the world.

MOST FREQUENTLY USED WORDS where’s the wifi? I liked them before they were popular.

SHIRT Tank top ripped off at the shoulders.

SHOULDER PADS Protection for their muscles and representative of playing football.

JERSEY Won for the various sports they partcipate in. May be known around school as their respective number.

indie mac recycle

JOCKS

MOST FREQUENTLY USED WORDS

sick

PANTS Perferably a bright color over the knee comfortable shorts or lounge pants.

SHOES Loafers and “chill shoes” ready to slip on after the typical hockey or lacrosse game.

PANTS Skinny jeans or tighter pants to easily tuck into Van shoes or Tom’s .

swag dirty Senior Calvin Mills sporting fashionable glasses

Senior Wes Holton with lounge pants, a backwards hat with his hair flowing underneath

MOST FREQUENTLY USED WORDS chill radical gnarly rage sick flow

photos by sierra DOVE graphics by erik FROBOM

care

rattled

Are all guys really the same?

Junior Sam Wegenke in an athletic pose

by emmy VIRKUS

Scattered throughout the hallways, different groups of friends can be recognized simply by the way they dress, act or even talk. Based on the nature of growing up, everybody goes in and out of these phases regularly. Although there are tons of stereotypes teens fall into, specifically guys, there are three that seem to occur more than most: bros, hipsters and jocks. A bro can be defined by long hair, snapback hat and listening to rave music. A perfect example of a "Bro" in our school is senior Wesley Holton. Holton can be found on the senior bench with his lax (lacross) shorts on, red flow peaking out behind his snapback hat and pulled up

hood. "To be a bro you've gotta have a lot of swag. Lax is what united us bros" Holton said. " You gotta work the sick flow, be chill, not really care, and most importantly have both kinds of lettuce." His vocabulary consists of "radical, gooh, hyphy, and rage." He plays lacrosse almost every day. A hipster's natural habitat is a coffee shop with indi-rock playing smoothly in the background. Dressed to impress, hipsters attire includes skinny jeans, tee shirts with sayings on them like "go green," sweatervests/cartigans with scarves, tom shoes and, of course, big chunky high fashion glasses.

Hipster interests include anything on their Mac. They are all over the hottest trends on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Senior Calvin Mills is known throughout the school as being one of the most stand out hipsters around. "I just do it. I've always done it, I grew up like this and my friends dress exactly the same" Mills said. " I like looking good and not being a bum. It identifies the music side of me since I'm so involved with it in multiple ways". And let’s not forget about the fellow jocks and how they percieve themselves. Top notch, stand out in sports, and have very attractive appearances. Just like in the movies, jocks

stand out among the students, respectively. Hotshot junior Sam Wegenke has a lot of feelings about being known as this stereotype. "I play sports a lot, I love physical activity" Wegenke said. "A lot of people think I'm really stuck up and underprivileged and get everything handed to me. But once you get to know me, you will realize that I work for everything". Whether the upperclassmen or underclassman embrace their specific stereotype or not, it all comes from their own interests and opinions of things. All students have their differences, but that doesn't make anybody better than anybody else.

PANTS Basketball shorts.

SHOES Cleats worn during games and sandals with socks every other day.

December 16, 2011

e P C J Coin collector for the car $6

eatures

y u B t

It’s December 23. You’re rushing to shop and when you look in your wallet for money you remember the delicious cheeseburger and double grande coffee you had for lunch. So now you’re running to the bank and still don’t have a clue where to go or what to look for. Stressed? Well we have you covered with a couple ideas of gifts and stores to try.

’s y e nn

Bes

Cool phone cases

$25

by asha SULTANI

n a c i er le m A Eag Hat with earbuds

y d o Bs & h ork t a B W

Scented holiday candle

$8 99

$1950

t r a -M

1 2 ue

l a W Nail polish collection

$10

Mr. R’s A+ Driving School 1673 Haslett Rd. #30, Haslett Haslett Village Square

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Fun cozy socks

$8 99

Never ending Christmas specials by nick LEMMER

It’s that time of year again. The snow is falling and you find yourself sitting by the roaring fire, curled under a blanket mindlessly watching your favorite holiday special. You know the one. That movie you watch every year with your family. And then watch again with your friends. And later, watching it one last time on Christmas Eve. But there are so many to choose from that it is nearly impossible to find someone without a favorite holiday flick. For senior Calvin Mills that movie is the 1946 classic “It’s A Wonderful Life.” “I don’t really like Christmas movies, but if I have to choose, that would be what I’d pick,” Mills said. “It’s not really A Christmas movie. It’s a movie that happens during Christmas for a couple scenes.” Junior Alex Colchin and

Students should take caution during winter

A Christmas Carol

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer White Christmas It’s A Wonderful Life How the Grinch Stole Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas Nightmare Before Christmas Elf

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Home Alone Miracle on 34th Street Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

A Christmas Story

senior Andy Beauchine feel differently. “My favorite is the animated How The Grinch Stole Christmas,’” Colchin said. “I watched that all the time as a kid.” Beauchine agrees, saying it’s a classic. Junior Derick Smith said that fairly recent movie Elf is his top pick. “Really anything with Will Farrel in it is awesome,” Smith said. He goes on

to say, “His ability to improv. is just amazing.” This winter break if you find your self with nothing to do, just sit down and watch the tube. There’s always something on this time of year. Whether it be Rudolf, or Christmas Family Vacation, you can bet they’re going to show it at least once. But more than likely at least ten times.

Michigan winter is unpredictable and often poses major challenges for travelers. Young drivers should be prepared and drive carefully during the winter time. “I was 16 when this happened to me,” junior Dan Henry said, recalling a previous accident that occurred during winter. It was late afternoon when Henry was driving from work to home. As he approached a sharp turn, he tried to brake but the car kept on going. Henry stayed in the hospital for two weeks because his leg was badly wounded. He believes this experience is something to learn from. “I’ve learned to be more carefully when driving,” Henry said. “I don’t text or talk on the phone while driving.” Young drivers can take great measures to avoid accidents like this. Before turning the car on, drivers should clear all windows and lights of frost and snow. It is a good idea to brake early when approaching an intersection or any stop. Snow tires would also be a good investment. It is also important to watch or listent to the news and get an idea how the weather is. If snow is predicted, drivers should make plans to leave early if they are going somewhere. In 2009, 10 percent of all accidents were caused by winter car accidents due to snow or icy road conditions.

TIPS for surviving the winter snow - Brake early - Scrape windows, mirrors and lights of ice before driving - Keep phone charged while driving - Check the weather before leaving - Leave early - Don’t text and drive!

F November: Twilight’ craze continues eatures

by morgan UNDERWOOD

Every fall, the same traditions and trends never cease to exist. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Caramel Apple Suckers and Ugg boots are all popular towards the end of the year. And during the past few years, there is something new that makes people even more anxious for this season to approach: “The Twilight Saga.” The four books and four movies have attracted fans since day one. Each November, it is hard to go a day at school without hearing talk about Twilight. There are many different types of fans. Some were drawn in when the first book came out. Others caught onto the books a little later and some fans are just too lazy to read the book but still enjoy the movies. “Twilighters” are much more obvious around the time of the new movie release. Also more obvious are the anti-Twilighters. After years of hearing about vampires and werewolves, they cannot wait for this obsession to be over. “I don’t like it (Twilight) because it’s fake,” sophomore Markie Wickard said. “It is not a real situation. It’s a depressing movie and it’s always

raining for some reason.” Along with the Twilighters and anti-Twilighters there are those who just do not care, like senior Nick Angel. “I care about Twilight just about as much as I care about my online Personal Finance class,” Angel said. “Zero.” The first self-titled book was published Oct. 5, 2005. The ongoing sappy love story of a vampire and his human lover sucked readers in immediately. The book has been sold in over 50 countries and has received many awards including “Best Book of the Year” by Publishers Weekly. The sequel “New Moon” was released in September 2006 and spent over 25 weeks in the number one spot on the New York Times Bestseller list. “Eclipse,” which was released in 2007 was the most popular release of the current books. By this point, even those who weren’t fans were still eager to see what the third book had in store and if it would deliver the same satisfaction to readers as the previous two novels. The fan base of the book series grew hastily at this time.

Metal music needs comeback

by jeremy BURTON

Radio stations often ignore metal. I believe if people gave it a chance some would find that they like it. Metal is a diverse genre with many sub-genres including heavy metal, death metal, thrash metal, metalcore, power metal, progressive meta and more.Metal is often stereotyped as a bunch of screechy vocals along with overly loud noise. This simply is not true for all metal bands or even most successful metal bands. For people new to metal who listen to generally lighter music, I would suggest starting with mainly power metal. Bands like Masterplan, Seven Kingdoms and Kamelot are good introductions to the genre. Masterplan is a German band. Keyboard player Axel Mackenrott adds a presence that people new to metal might find more familiar and rateable. It sounds similar to the synthesizer found in more main stream music. The first album to look into for Masterplan would be the self titled album

“Masterplan.” Seven Kingdoms is a new band that is based in Florida. The group is a bit heavier than Masterplan, but has a female singer and some lighter songs such as “A Murder Never Dead” which is worth listening to. Kamelot is another band from Florida. Kamelot’s vocalist who left this year Roy Khan has a tone that is much lighter than most other metal vocalists. Albums that you should look for first from Kamelot are “Poetry for the Poisoned” and “Ghost Opera.” If you already listen to newer metal like Avenged Sevenfold or Bullet for my Valentine , or Disturbed I would suggest looking back to original heavy metal bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Dio. Judas Priest along with Black Sabbath IS one of the very first metal bands and is now on its final world tour - the Epitaph Tour. The last performance the group is likely to ever play in Michigan again was Nov. 13. It was the greatest live performance I have ever seen. Judas Priest’s vocalist Rob Halford has one of the most impressive ranges I have ever heard and has some of the greatest guitarists (Glen Tiption and K.K. Downing, who was replaced by Richie Faulkner for the Epitaph tour) and drummer (Scott Travis). Judas Priest has a similar heavy nature to its music and the halfordian falsetto tech-

nique acts similarly to the music as screams found in metalcore. The instrumental work is absolutely phenomenal with some of the most impressive guitar solos I have ever heard. And the drum solo in “Painkiller” is the best I’ve ever heard. Iron Maiden also performed amazingly when I saw the group two summers ago. Maiden uses techniques such as bass gallops where the bass guitar sounds like a horse, highly technical soloing from guitars and more recently a more challenging music by using complicated time signatures. I, unfortunately, was never able to see Ronnie James Dio because he died in 2010. Dio’s bands shuffled many different members and was a part of Black Sabbath for a time which renamed itself Heaven and Hell. Dio was an amazing singer and his band mates were always amazing. For a Dio album I would suggest listening to “Holy Diver” first. All three of these bands were highly influential in today’s metal music. If none of these bands work for you and you want to try out death metal, my favorite bands are Opeth and the band Death. I would encourage all people to give metal a chance and put down your stereotypes of it.If you already listen to some metal, listen to where it came from. You might find that you actually like it as I do.

Finally on Aug. 2, 2008 at midnight, the final book in the series was released. “Breaking Dawn” sold 1.3 million copies in the first 24 hours. Twilighters were thoroughly pleased with the four books and couldn’t help but crave more vampire action. So on Nov. 21, 2008 the fans were elated with “Twilight” the movie. The movie took the number one spot at the Box Office grossing $70 million just in the opening weekend. Even anti-Twilighters found themselves unable to stay away. “I don’t read the books because I can’t imagine Edward. I need to see his face,” senior Elliott Norris said. “ The movies are so thrilling and romantic. I’m sure the books aren’t that great.” However, there were some who oppose this. “My favorite is the books,” senior Lexy Mitchell said. “The movies aren’t that special.” Some of the original Twilighters were disappointed with the outcome of the movie. But the curiosity of all types of Twilight Saga fans kept them coming back for more. In each of the years to follow, the sequel to the previous book was released as a movie. Each

December 16, 2011

November, the anticipation of the new movie gets the best of people. “It’s a really big deal when the movies come out each year. It’s something I always look forward to,” freshman Elizabeth Wakulsky said. It has become a tradition for movie watchers to line up at the movie theater where the movie is being released and wait almost all day until the new movie is released at midnight. This November, the first part of “Breaking Dawn” was released as a movie. As of Dec. 4, the movie grossed $587,926,409. Being that “Breaking Dawn” is the last book in the series, one would expect the Twilight obsession that has caught on all around the world, to be winding down. However, part two of “Breaking Dawn” is expected to be released in November 2012. So for the next year, all anti-Twilighters will have to continue to hear all the Twilighters talk about the upcoming movie and previous books and movies. But mostly how hot Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are.

CALL OF DUTY: modern warfare 3

vs.

SKYRIM by maggie TURNEY

PROS “ There’s more fast pace action (on MW3).” - Chase Appelgate, junior

“The open world (in Skyrim). The freedom to get distracted and do other quests besides the main one - at any time. And the detail! And the realisticness of a fantasy world.” - Lydia Chamberlain, junior

“I like Skyrim because there’s more stuff to do.” - Appelgate

CONS “Sometimes in battle (Skyrim) I’ll get crouched (because I happen to press too hard on the left joystick) and then I get stuck, and it drains my Mana.” - Chamberlain

“It’s the things that make the game (MW3) unfair - like there are certain weapons that will kill you so quickly.”

- Parker Garret, sophomore

By the Numbers

3 wins 5 schools represented 6 coaches 9 Haslett players 22 players total

The whistle blows and two players glare at each other, face to face. The puck drops and the game begins as the Eastside Stars hockey players strive for yet another win. Starting off with a record of 3-1, the hockey team has a promising season ahead of it. Not only does this seem better than last year, but also is the greatest starting record since joining with other schools to become the Eastside Stars. Senior Drew Martin attributes this success to the team players. “We have alot of good guys,” Martin said. “The new guys and freshmen have good potential.” Since last season, Eastside lost four seniors leaving only six seniors, a decent amount of underclassmen and two Haslett freshmen. However,

this lopsided roster doesn’t worry Martin. “The younger players will create a good team for future years to come,” Martin said. “They’ll learn strategy early and by senior year can dominate the ice.” Assistant captain junior Ryan Tyrer feels the same and is hopeful for his successors. “Having a young team will be good,” Tyrer said. “If they can play more they’ll be top players in the future.” Along with these new additions, the team as a whole functions well together. “We have good chemistry,” Tyrer said. “The new guys fit in well and are more focused on winning.” Not only do the players have their heads in the right place, but the coaching helps as well. The coaching staff consists of

multiple coaches experienced in different areas. This includes goalie, offensive, defensive and dry land coaches. Martin he finds assistant coach Kris Horn most inspiring. “He gives great game say speeches,” Martin said. “This really helps before we go out on the ice.” Along with adult help, the team captains lead as well. Senior Chris Hagan from East Lansing is the head captain followed by Tyrer. “A captain has to be a team player, make the right plays and lead by example,” Tyrer said. Martin agrees, pointing out how captains shape the team’s work ethic. “It’s impossible to see them slacking off,” Martin said. “They’re great leaders.” For now there is much to

expect, yet for Martin this season will come to a sad close. Martin mentions the fact that the team is like a great family. It constitutes as more than just a team for the majority of the players and he’s sad to leave it behind. “I’m going to enjoy this season,” Martin said. “But it’s the last time to play organized hockey, the last chance to play with this close of a group.” On some Fridays the guys who belong to team are dressed up for the game that night. As Martin quotes from their coach the importance of dresssing up. “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, you win,” Martin said. And win they do.

Winter fishing: braving the ice

RHL: A different type of league

by laine ALEXANDER

As the snow trickles down on the ice, bodies are flying everywhere, and the ice is covered with blood. With sticks scrapping the ice and the puck bouncing around, many may think this scene is being played out by the Eastside Stars hockey team, a team consisting of kids from Haslett, East Lansing, Laingsburg, Bath, and Williamston. It is not. It is being played by the real hockey team in Haslett, from the growing Rich Hockey League. Although that previous statement may be a slight exaggeration, the RHL is growing among students looking for winter activities around the area. The RHL is named after senior Jordy Rich, who along with some of his friends began the league two years ago. “My family had made a ice rink in our backyard a couple of years ago and my friends and I decided to put some nets up on it,” he said. “We also have a pond behind my house where we play games too.” The rules of the league are simple, with the teams using the same sticks and pucks that you would find in any college or NHL game. However there are still a few differences between the RHL and regular hockey rules. For one thing, skates are not required, and in fact frowned upon in RHL games.

As the temperatures drop, Michiganders gear up for the winter months and the ensuing festivities. Sledding, snowboarding and skiing are all popular winter sports. but for senior Patyon Warner, ice fishing is the way to pass time. Warner's home on Lake Lansing allows him a prime location to fish. "Me and my buddies go ice fishing to pass the time in the cold winter months," Warner said. Many people often wonder what the small wooden houses out on Lake Lansing in the winter months are. Ice shan-

ties. Which are small wooden portable sheds used as shelter for fishermen braving the cold to make a catch. Warner explains the involved process of drilling a hole in order to fish. "You have to check the thickness of the ice before drilling. It must be at least six inches thick for safety reasons," he said. An auger or ice saw, whether powered by an electric motor or manually, is then used to dig a hole about eight inches in diameter, giving the fisher a hole to begin the hunt. The average person might assume that ice fishing is a

graphics by eric FROBOM and lauren HOOPER

rather mild sport, but few are educated on the dangers of braving the ice. Ice can be deceptively thin in some areas, due to the current moving under the water. Although the dangers of ice fishing are much less severe on Lake Lansing, winds have been known to break off large chunks of ice in the Great Lakes, leaving fisherman stranded for days. In 2009, 100 fishermen were stranded on a block of ice on Lake Erie and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. "There is a certain aspect of danger, but that makes it kind of fun," Warner said.

by adam FOREN

“Without the skates it makes it more entertaining going for the puck and trying to keep your balance,” senior Quinton Lemanski said. Another difference in RHL games are the length of the games. “We usually play for about an hour and whoever is in the lead at the end of the game wins,”Lemanski said.“It gets pretty intense by the end of the games.” What started as a small game with friends has morphed into a 20 player organized league. "We are going to have a draft with four teams of five people," Rich said. "We will have two games going on at once, on the pond and on the ice rink in my backyard." Even people who are involved in winter sports have joined the RHL madness. Sam Rathbun, a hard hitting center for the Eastside Stars, is a newcomer joining the league this year. "I heard about the league last year and wanted to join with my friends this year," he said. Rathbun sees a few differences between his real hockey team and the teams of the RHL. "The RHL league is not as intense as my real hockey team and we dont wear skates," he said. So as winter comes into full effect, the RHL will be up and fully running.

Wrestling: 0-3 Hockey: 3-1 Swimming: 1-1 Basketball Boys: 1-2 Girls: 4-1

AOT M MONTH

by lauren HOOPER

ports

OF THE

Stars start off season strong

S SPORTS LOG

December 16, 2011

ATHLETE

Makenna Ott Basketball

Position: Foward What are your thoughts on the team: Young but talented

Favorite pre-game meal: Noodles What do you want for Christmas: Best buy gift cards Favorite team to play against: DeWitt

ports

November 18, 2011

Rose Bowl or bust

From Pasadena to the Outback Bowl is disappointment to loyal fan by shane HESTON

There I am trying to get ready for the best road trip of my life and all I can think about is Pasadena and the Roses. Being in the car for five hours nothing can be worse, but then again you haven’t been in my shoes. Ever since I was a kid growing up as a Michigan State football fan, I’ve wanted to go to the Rose Bowl and watch my Spartans play in it. Having both parents go to the last Rose Bowl MSU played in, in 1988, makes it even worse. Every day I comes downstairs to my basement and see my parents’ framed Rose Bowl tick-

ets. This makes me even more jealous. I have been watching Michigan State at every home game and at some away games, watching them on their way to being in the Inaugural B1G Ten Championship game. All I could do was dream of going to the championship game and making it to the Rose Bowl. Now having to think about this one I would rather see them make it to the Rose Bowl than going to Indy... The only thing is I picked the wrong choice. Going to the first ever B1G Ten championship game might have been

the best sports event I’ve ever been to in my life. The school spirit was everywhere for both teams. Anywhere you went, if you saw a person with the wrong colors you got in an argument with them. The game was one of the most intense ones I’ve ever been to and the whole time I had that feeling of this game is ours, this season is ours to finally make it back to the Rose Bowl. That all changed within one second. It’s funny how one call can ruin a whole season. Sitting in my row one seats, my whole life growing up watching Michigan State football, came

photo courtesy of linda HESTON Michigan State celebrates after runningback Le’Veon Bell scores a touchdown against Wisconsin.

down to this one game that we couldn’t win. Riding home for five hours after a devastating loss to the team you should have beat is literally the worst

Tyrer: Last one standing by logan MILLIMAN

Senior Jess Tyrer never stopped playing basektball even when all her friends did. She still played even when her head coach resigned. It's Jess's senior year of basketball and she is the only senior on the varsity team roster. "I've always played since I was a little kid and basketball has always been fun to me," Tyrer said. As the only senior on the team, Tyrer is stepping up as the definite leader on the squad. “I'm not getting any special treatment but I always try and give the younger kids advice,” she said. Tyrer started her basketball career in kindergarten during the HYRA days. She has adpated very well to making new friends that are not in her grade. "It was a very easy transition because the girls were very nice and we clicked, so our team chemistry is a definte golden point on our team," She said. Her coach expects alot of her and he should because she has been a starting point guard on the varsity team since sophomore year. When she is not shooting hoops, she is watching basket-

feeling in the world. Not going to the Rose Bowl while your rival you dominated is going to a BCS bowl makes it even worse. Looking back at

No more lockout Students debate NBA disagreements by patrick GIFFORD

Jess Tyrer during an afternoon practice in the gym.

ball. She is a big fan of Michigan State basketball's Draymond Green because he’s great at everything he does and is a tremendous leader. Her two closest friends on the team are sophomore Heather Holton because she has played volleyball with her, and also junior Mariah Beebe

because both play the same postion and help each other out. Tyrer has high expectations for this young team. "Even though we are a young team we have so much talent that we could really go places," Tyrer said. Ultimately, Tyrer wants to

photo by sierra DOVE

leave her legacy of taking the team to the district championship since she lost that her sophomore year and didn't get a trip back her junior year. "I hope that we have a sucessful year and our team really clicks and that I help get the team better for the next couple of years,” she said.

the whole experience, I know it was a once in a lifetime chance being at the first B1G Ten championship. But it just doesn’t feel like it.

The NBA is back! But no one seems to care. The NBA owners and players reached an agreement on Nov. 26 and the lockout has been lifted. The first games will begin on Christmas day and a shortened 66 game schedule will be played. One would think students around the school would be excited about professional basketball starting up. The exact opposite, however, has been the case. “I hate the NBA, I don’t really care that it’s back,” sophomore Mark Wickard said. Senior Johnny LaRosa agrees. “They should of just cancelled the whole season. NBA basketball is worthless,” he said. Some students didn’t know the lockout was going on. “I have no idea what that is, I haven’t followed it at all “ senior Lauryn Cummings said. Why is it that students around Haslett don’t seem to care that professional basketball is back in session? “It’s not very interesting. All the games are just about stats and showing off,” LaRo-

sa said. Sophomore Mitch Stewart is turned off by the lack of competitiveness in professional basketball. “There are only three or four good teams, so most games aren’t close and just flat out boring,” he said. There are some students, however, that are excited for professional basketball to return. “I’m pretty happy,” sophomore Travis Tahaney said. “It means my favorite team (the Oklahoma City Thunder) will start to play soon and I’m psyched to watch them.” Sophomore Devin Nault was overcome with joy when he heard. “The Miami Heat are back,” he said. Although students like Tahaney and Nault are ready for the NBA’s, majority of students truly don’t care. Some have never followed professional basketball, while others have recently stopped following the sport. While the NBA has officially ended the lockout, it can’t seem to shake its shackles off Haslett High School.

P S hoto

December 16,2011

Student council lends a holiday helping hand

tory

photo story by sierra DOVE

5 Q. Why do you like the giving project? A. “I like the giving project because everyone deserves gifts on Christmas” - Junior Tasha Bolda Q. Why do you like the giving project? A. “I love spreading Christmas Cheer” - Junior Brian Martell

1. Senior Rachel Feighner finishes wrapping one of the many gifts purchased by fifth hour classes. Gift wrapping was held Wednesday morning before school. 2. Senior Tara Mahon and freshman Mariah Otlewski work together to wrap clothing for a young boy. 3. Senior Monica Walker prepares a present that will be given to a young girl. 4. Freshman Olivia Duryea tops off one of the gifts with bows. 5. Senior Matt Sauer, juniors Chelsea Soper, Sierra Bain, Jake Schmelter and Patrick Gifford work on organizing gifts. 6. Senior Kate Steinfield gives the gifts one last run through before they are sent out for delivery through the Haslett Community Church Christmas Giving Project.