THETORCH PLAINWELL HIGH SCHOOL || 684 Starr Rd, Plainwell, MI 49080 || www.trojantorch.com
03
Students are done with bad parking
09
The best places to spend summer days in Michigan
The Class of 2015 ‘s senior mural was done by Ally Riston ‘15. Photo by Maiah Lesher.
ISSUE 7, VOL. 65 || May 2015
Opinion.................................2 News.....................................4 Lifestyle...............................5 Feature...............................10 Sports...................................11
02 || opinion
the trojan torch
may 13, 2015 The Trojan Torch Volume 65, Issue 7 May 13, 2015
School year round:
Beneficial to students, or administration? BY ABBY BENSON STAFF WRITER
Editor-in-Chief: Camille Willbrandt
News Editor: Alex Beals
Opinion Editor: Rob Murgittroyd
Feature Editor: Shelby Lentz
Lifestyle Editor:
Sports Editor:
Photo Editor:
Business Editor:
Sarah Bommer
Maiah Lesher
Staff Writers Abby Benson ‘16 Hunter Born ‘15 Devin Bruns ‘15 Sammy Cain ‘15 Kaylie Colyer ‘15 Elise Cooper ‘17 Sean Elkins ‘15 Jerrad Fillmore ‘15 Mitchell Hough ‘15 Davis Karklins ‘15 Carlee Keim ‘16 Cody Lawsn ‘15 Jordan Louden ‘15 Aric Macigewski ‘15 Camron Owens ‘15 Jacob Slater ‘15 Jared Steele ‘15 Ashley Widner ‘16 Broc Wright ‘15 Hogan Yaw ‘15
Emily Totten
Kyle Shannon
The Trojan Torch serves students, faculty of PHS, and members of the community through informing, educating, interpreting, etertaining, and advertising. All members of the community and students are free to contribute stories, photos, and/or drawings to The Torch. We do deserve the right to edit or reject your work as we see fit. If the story submitted is anything other than editorial, The Torch requires all sources to be identified in order to continue its tradition as a credible news and information source. The Torch staff also reserves the right to accept or reject the purchase of any adverstisement. To purchase advertising, or to submit a story, photo, or letter to the editor, please send it to: Plainwell High School Attn: Marilyn Hess 684 Starr Rd. Plainwell, MI 49080 269-685-9554 ext. 1562 mhess@plainwellschools.org Some material courtesy of the American Society of News Editors/ MCT Campus news service.
No more long, sunny, freedom-filled summers. School year-round is becoming more and more of a hot topic, even at Plainwell High School. Many believe it will only benefit society. But about the students? How come we do not have a say? You can’t take something like summer vacations away from us since it’s so universal. Some students believe that summer vacation is the symbol of student freedoms. “No more freedom. It’s just so traditional, it would be so weird to go from summer to school every day,” said Zachary Chamberlin ‘16. Not only would students be negatively affected from this because their summer jobs would be long gone, but they would also lose their high school summer memories. The parents would be affected too. The frequent breaks might force parents to take extra time off work, line up potentially expensive short-term childcare solutions, or even leave children home alone while they are away at work. Older students could also suffer financially, if they normally have a full-time summer employment on their classic summer break. Chamberlin thinks it’s hard to compare which academic calendar is worse because it depends if the question regards academics, or the pursuit of happiness in general. “We would get more done, but we would not be genuinely happy anymore. School is
Summer breaks are so ingrained to students’ brains that changing the schedule now would meet far too much opposition. really hard to enjoy, let alone all year-round,” said Chamberlin. It’s hard to say if school year round has more disadvantages or advantages. The older the students, the more likely they are to be resistant to the idea, and experience difficulty in adjusting to a year-round schedule, since they have all grown up with a three-month summer break. “I would hate not getting the full time of summer vacation,” said Catherine Lemus ‘16. Not having our adequate summer gap, would be a big transformation. Year-round schools are also going to be disruptive to family life when children attend different schools, but are in the same house. Families could end up in a position where one child is on a break, and the other still has school to attend. “The idea itself depends on if it’s implemented. If the goal on education is learning, people learn better when they don’t have a three-month gap,” said teacher Chase Mielke. Mielke has a good point, students would be more exceptional at holding information they learned the past year. The major perk
of year-round education is that it addresses continuous learning, since the students are not ever out of school for extended amounts of time. Everyone forgets less of the material they learned and the teachers spend a lot less time going over pre-vacation material. “There are lots of comparative studies that show summer breaks create loss of learning especially younger children and children in poverty,” said Mielke. Nevertheless,summer breaks are so ingrained to the older students’ brains that changing the school schedule now would meet far too much opposition to continue.
Elijah Adams ‘16 gets acquainted to the idea of summer weather and school work. Photo by Maiah Lesher.
03 || opinion
the trojan torch
Reckless parking: BY KAYLIE COLYER STAFF WRITER You’re having such a horrible day. You’re tired, and you’re stressed, perhaps you have so much homework today that you think your brain might explode. You cannot handle anything stressing you out anymore. You walk out to the parking lot and see the vehicle next to you is parked over the line, just inches away from your car. You walk around your car to investigate, and there it is. A giant dent on your door! Could this day get any worse? Bad parking jobs can be the difference between a good, and a horrible day.
Whether the person parked just over the line, parked at an angle, or took up as many as four spots with their massive SUV, they take perfectly good parking spots away from everyone else, and it needs to stop. Reckless parking can cause damage to the cars next to them, and makes it difficult to fit into spaces. “Parking inside the lines is very important to me, not just because I am a Drivers Education Instructor, but because I don’t like my car doors getting dinged up by people who park over the line,” said Keven Badalamente. “It’s happened to my wife’s car before,” he added. “It’s very annoying when people park crooked,” said Zoe Lepley ‘16, “I don’t want to hit your car. You probably don’t want me to hit your car.
s t n a R s ’ b This Ro As a senior, I have seen the transition of Plainwell High School from a place where people have fun and learn (mostly), to a place where people make fun; and learn the least as possible. It’s safe to say, that I enjoyed walking the halls of PHS as a freshman, rather than a senior. This is mostly due to the fact that there wasn’t antisocial kids walking blindly with their noses in their iPads. The quality of people over the years has dropped significantly. It’s absolutely appalling to hear the conversations I hear in hallways. It’s almost the equivalent of the logic of a dog. The following is a hypothetical
example. ‘I’m excited to see my friend, so I’m going to scream and make sure everyone knows I’m excited to see him! I’m excited!’ Woof woof. Also in regards to the students of PHS, I’ve noticed a decline in self-respect, but at the same time an increase in being judgmental. These two things combined are a vicious cycle for constant drama. Students lose self-respect by rolling out of bed in the morning, throwing on basketball shorts or yoga pants, and forcing the respectable part of the student population to look at you not caring about what you look like. Honestly, you should wear something decent for yourself, and not for others at all.
may 13, 2015
the line has been crossed
So park inside the lines.” There are painted lines for a reason. Some people could just be really bad at parking. They just may not have the coordination to maneuver a 3,000 pound vehicle into the confines of a parking spot. Maybe their vehicle is too big to see around while trying to park. To these people, it’s advised you downsize your ride. Or perhaps the person just does not care. They seem to believe that everyone else on the road is below them. That they can park however they want, because they are somehow ‘more important’ than other people. “It is so annoying when I go to get the last spot in the front row, but someone parked over the line, and is taking up two spots,” said Jordan Raglon ‘16. “Then, I have to keep going,
and end up getting a spot like three rows back. How is that fair?” There are many ways this parking incident could be avoided. The unfortunate people who are unable to park right could accept their inadequate parking skills and park towards the back of the parking lot, leaving the more desirable spots for people who can actually park. Or they could park in any spot and simply fix their parking if they see that they messed up. Finally, they could just get more practice. “I would definitely give people parking lessons, if it decreases the amount of bad parking jobs,” said Badalamente. For the people who simply do not care, more drastic so-
lutions may be required. They need to see what they are doing to others. Either way, it’s time to change this bad parking behavior because it has figuratively, and literally, crossed the line.
Really bad at parking, or just don’t really care? Photo by Maiah Lesher.
place is a sinking ship
However, even though students are dressing less and less for success, they’re judging others on every little thing they do! What type of environment can arise when students start judging themselves less, but others more? If you have had a class with lowerclassmen, than you probably understand the effect of this judgment. A teacher may ask a question, but no one answers. Maybe this is because no one knows the answer, or maybe because students know the people in the class will be silently calling them stupid if they get the question wrong. I have also watched a change in the teachers and administration of PHS as well. Red tape regulations
and cookie cutter policies are now the norm. Going somewhere from class? As of my sophomore year, it’s a rule that you get a green pass from your teacher. Want to transfer out of classes you decided you now don’t want after a trimester starts? Too bad. As of my junior year, counselors try harder and harder to keep you in classes you don’t want. To me, this makes no sense. If the counselors know you don’t want to be in a class, then shouldn’t they understand that you’re not doing the work whether you’re in the class or not? Teachers dish black and white punishments now more than ever. A person
who is a non-consensually getting their paper copied is still a cheater. A person who stops a fight by physical means is still a fighter. I sadly can literally only think of one solution to our problems, and that’s being aware. Underclassmen, notice that you’re a byproduct of the 21st century. It’s easy for you to become unskilled and antisocial, since you have the means to sit in a chair playing games on your iPad, or ask a girl to a dance over a text message. Upperclassmen, there is no advice for you. Sit back, and just make the best of a sinking ship. Your time at Plainwell High School will be over soon enough.
04 || news
the trojan torch
may 13, 2015
You ready to “shop ‘til you drop”? BY SAMMY CAIN STAFF WRITER There are many stores that you can shop at around here, but if you are looking for a good deal on name brand then you look for an outlet store. The closest one is more than two hours away; that’s why they are building the new Tanger outlet mall in Byron Center. The new shopping center, located just off US-131 off the 84th Street exit, will feature over 80 brand names and designer outlet retailers. Construction is going faster than they expected. The mall is going to open on July 31, which is a few months earlier than planned. Tanger will also be holding a job fair on June 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Byron Center High School. Tanger is looking for cutomer service representatives, and stores are looking for managers, and sales staff. “I know about the new outlet mall and I’m excited that a new mall is opening more close because the other ones are far away,” said Amanda Nikolaas ‘15. The new outlet is only 25
The new sign for the outlet mall that sits on 84th Street. More than 80 stores will be coming to the mall, which sits just outside Byron Center. It is slated to open July 31. Photo taken from Flickr
minutes according to MapQuest. The other nearest outlet malls are Birch Run which is 2 hours and 27 minutes, and Michigan City which is 1 hour and 40 minutes. “I’ve heard of the new outlet mall, and the first store that I would probably look for would be nike for a new pair of shoes or leggings,” said Haley Holly ‘16. “First thing I would look for is the food court. I would probably look for some really good sales on a pair of jeans, or a nice flannel.” said Murphy Peters ‘15. The mall has cost $80 million to construct, and will create 900 jobs. The Tanger outlet will also be paying for a sidewalk that will run from 84th Street and Burlingame near Byron Center High School all the way to the outlets.
STORES, STORES, AND MORE STORES!
Over 60 stores will be having spaces at the Tanger outlet mall. These are just some of the stores that will be coming soon to the mall:
-American Eagle
-Converse
-Levi’s
-Calvin Klein
-Charlotte Russe
-Nike
-Columbia
-Fossil
-Oakley
NEWS FLASH News that is kinda important, yet not important enough to warrant its own story.
LOCAL: A car crashed into the J.C. Wheeler library in Martin. It happened around 11:30 p.m. on May 4; no one was injured. Electric car manufacturer Tesla has purchased Riviera Tool and Die in Cascade Township. STATE: A Chrysler factory employee was crushed in a press May 5. He later died from his injuries. Southwest Michigan was hit by a 4.2 magintude earthquake on May 2. It was the largest in the state since 1947. NATIONAL: In a lawsuit against the state of California, a prison inmate says he is being denied his rights after being denied a state funded sex change operation. John Kerry becomes the first sitting Secretary of State to travel to Somalia. Sources: WOOD TV 8, WWMT-TV 3, Fox News. and the BBC. Column by Alex Beals
NAPA AUTO PARTS PLAINWELL AUTO SUPPLY CO. 155 North Main St. Plainwell, MI 4980 269-685-5817
621 E. Bridge St. Spring Hours Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sun. 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
05 || lifestyle
the trojan torch
What messages are you sending? BY ASHLEY WIDNER STAFF WRITER College visits, job interviews, or just meeting someone for the first time could change your life. However, if your arms are crossed and you can’t make eye contact, could that ruin your chances to move higher up in life? The answer is yes; body language is more important than most realize. Humans possess the ability to have an idea of what another person is thinking just by observing their body language. The common giveaway of disinterest is looking around; when your eyes aren’t clearly focused in on what is going on, people can usually tell you are bored or not paying attention. In the Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease, they explain how to make good impressions, bonds, and what sets people off. Teachers are especially good at being able to tell when students are not paying attention. “Why would I give you a quote? Students will just figure it out and it’s not important anyway,” said teacher Keven Badalemente. It is not just school where
body language is important. With seniors going off to college in just a few short months, everyone wants to make new friends and good impressions. There are things the average person would not suspect to be putting others off, but body language could be uninviting to new people. “You can tell if people are not paying attention if they’re not looking at you. It makes me not wanna talk to those people anymore,” said Nico Lesher ‘18. Most would agree, when your arms are in your pockets and your eyes are pointed towards the ground, you are giving off the vibe you don’t want to be bothered. This is a common mistake made by shy people, explains Barbara Pease. Of course they are not trying to turn people away on purpose; but their body language makes it obvious they aren’t going to talk to you. “When someone is standing there with their arms crossed and a frown on their face it doesn’t make me want to approach them; most people don’t realize that but it really makes a difference,” said Leslie Shaw ’16. What most people are curious about is if you can actu-
ally tell if someone likes you just by their body language. The first giveaway is closeness, the closer a person is the more interested they are; whether that’ s interest in you or just what you are talking about is up to you to figure out. It is also all in the eyes, your pupils actually dilate if you are in the same room with someone you think fondly of. Not only is body language important in establishing personal relationships, but also could be the reason you get a job or not. “University programs actually do training for grads for interviews and focus on body language. People should be pretty aware of how important it is by now,” said Psychology teacher Jason Grubaugh. Walking with a wider step actually shows more confidence. When you are talking to your interviewer lean all the way back in your chair, with your back straight. “You want to speak with authority and be confident when answering questions. I can usually tell within the first five minutes of interviewing someone if I will bring them back or not,” said principal Jeremy Wright. Usually for a first inter-
view people are nervous. Research shows those who stand with their shoulders back, smile, and don’t fidget are actually more confident and approachable. So if making new friends
may 13, 2015
and making better first impressions isn’t enough incentive to better your body language, remember it can actually improve your inner self too.
Mara Minott ‘15 and Kate McMahon ‘16 don’t seem too interested in what the other is talking about, based on their body language. Photo by Maiah Lesher.
07 || senior edition
06 || senior edition the trojan torch
KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE James Babbitt Caleb Beachler Seth Bevins Sammy Cain Bailey Campbell Mitchell Clark Keenan Conner Arthur Eddy Sean Elkins Jerrad Fillmore Caya Forsythe Travis Garman Drew Hagen Megan Harris Danielle Holtman Bryce Janssen Ben Larabel Jordan Lee Carter Leslie Allie Lindauer Bailey Lowis Colin McHugh
Dj McNett Jacquelyn Morris Amanda Nikolaas Kaitlin Oakes Chelsea Oetman Cam Owens Hannah Perez-Hope Charlene Poore Brad Richar Ally Riston Jacob Slater Kevin Soper Taylor Stansbury Cassidy Steele Jared Steele Daniel Strudgeon Brooke Vist Taylor Washburn Broc Wright Macayla Wright Hogan Yaw
DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY Jacob Geter Kasey Hudon Aaron Klang Martyna Pioro Austin Rohr Molly Wright
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Dillon Anson Justin Benjamin Hunter Born Alec Carpenter Kyler Castro Kaylee Colyer Nick Dunsmoor Cam Hayes Gloria Kenniston Lauren Koch Ricky LaDuke Dan Maguire
Lexi Milani Mara Minott Harley Misner Rob Murgittroyd Nick Norman Matthew Schudel Alexx Sipes Amber Stoneburner Jessica Taylor Will Wetherall Stephanie Wright
michigan state university Matias Amaro Emily Conklin Davis Karklins Sydney Landon Drew Levine Sierra Rouleau Luke Sienko Laura VanDenBerg
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
eastern michigan university
Kevin Rice
Kevin Andrysiak Amber Deloof Sam Geniac Anna Giffels Keith King Cody Laws MyKayla Lutz Luke Markle Brooke Pell Jesse Serafini Camille Willbrandt
Shelby Booden Kari Havenaar Angel Liceaga Jordan Louden Nickole Stenzel Cameron Vanderhoff Sydney Wilson
douglas j. aveda institute Haley Betts
NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Alex Beals Miles Lovdahl
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
calvin college Mackenzie Pulver
OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
Kaylee Britten Devin Bruns Karlee Gauthier Christian LoBretto Lauren Stefl Austin Swanson
FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
BELMONT UNIVERSITY
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE FOR MASSAGE
VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY
LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE
Shelby Lentz
Avery Jackson
Cassidy Morris
Ruby Ramos
Brandi Hamming
Gunner Sheldon
Tessa Miller
LEE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Andrew Bingham Cassidy Haase Emily Moeller Ashley Pepple Alec Waples-Dexter
michigan technological university Nicholas Ebsch Mitchel Hough Jackson Hover Ben Miller Jarod Russell
KENDALL COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Grant Pettit
ALMA COLLEGE
LAWRENCE TECHNOLOGICAL SAGINAW VALLEY STATE GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY UNIVERSITY LYNN UNIVERSITY XAVIER UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE ALBION COLLEGE J. L . COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY BAKER COLLEGE EVANGEL UNIVERSITY BERKELEY UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE MICHIGAN CAREER & ECKERD COLLEGE MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO TECHNICAL INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON OLIVET COLLEGE Mackenzie Babbitt
Noah Lawson Tarah Young
Sarah Morrell
Aaryn Jewell
E.J. Finch Paige Rachut
Alyssa Boss
Young Ha Kim
Maggie Cooper
Jake Almeda
Shelby Hawkes
Sara Lepley
Reiss Hozak Olivia Stroupe
Mallory Comerford
Alyssa Hatfield
Kim Jones
Emily Witteveen
Paige Spitsberg
Taylor Williams
Abigail Blais Catelynn Stenzel
Trent Monroe
may 13, 2015
STETSON UNIVERSITY Joclyn Pelfresne
WORKFORCE/OTHER Donovan Bloomfield Megan Friel Joanna Gailey Lee Gregersen Kenny Head Lachlan Hogg Kaleb Hudson Nick LaFountain Jacob MacDonald Aric Macigewski Murphy Peters Tara Wolfe Nate Zimmer
KUYPER COLLEGE Casey Cahoon
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE Amy Zhu
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Rocken Taylor
MILITARY
Daniel Householder
AIR FORCE Sean Murphy
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO Abbey Waters
8 || senior edition
the trojan torch
may 13, 2015
Senior Ads Thanks for your support!
The Beals Family
Barbara Gipson
Mrs. Wingle
Flower GallaRe 110 W Allegan St.
Dean’s Ice Cream 307 N Sherwood Ave
Plainwell Ice Cream Co. 621 E Bridge St
Dairy Freeze 1443 E M 89
Golden Scissors 220 E Allegan St
Seniors reminisce BY ASHLEY WIDNER STAFF WRITER
“Graduating.” -Stephanie Wright
The best moments: “Getting suspended for an argument regarding Miley Cyrus.” -Seth Bevins
Photo by Maiah Lesher.
Photo is public domain.
Dee-Tails Doggie Daycare & Boarding 610 Allegan St
B & C Trophy: Prints and Custom Clothing 544 E Morrell St
Extreme Salon & Day Spa 711 E Allegan St
Golf Cars Plus 607 N Main St
Lee Lancaster - State Farm Insurance Agent 441 E Bridge St
Brian and Tracy Derhammer
Congrats to the Varsity senior cheerleaders!
Mr. Hansen
Mrs. Anson
Mrs. Newell
“Watching the girls basketball team go undefeated.” -Kaylee Britten
Photo from Amy Steele.
Mercantile Bank of MI 310 Leonard St NW
Most embarrassing moments: “Having braces senior year.” -Ally Riston
Photo from Ally Riston.
“A guy asked me to go out with him and I got confused and had to call him back.” -Anna Giffels
Seniors and their post-grad living plans BY KAYLIE COLYER
plan to live in at home
24 % 67%
other *out of 78 PHS seniors surveyed
Photo by Maiah Lesher.
9%
plan to live in a dorm
“When I told Maclayne Adams that I’d climb in his window and kill him AS A JOKE and I still got suspended because his mom called the school.” -Jessica Taylor
Images are public domain.
9 || lifestyle
the trojan torch
Summer Bucket List
BY CARLEE KEIM STAFF WRITER Looking for something to do this summer besides a Netflix binge? The possible places to go and things to do are endless! Get out and explore the great outdoors, or the great indoors of a museum. Take your friends or your family and go on a road trip down south and up north and see what our beautiful state has to offer.
M-199’s Tunnel of Trees: Starts in Harbor Springs and ends in Cross Village Sleeping Bear Dunes* Wildwood Rush Zipline Canopy Tour $20
Michigan’s Adventure -$30
South Haven*
Michigan State University Frederik Meijer Gardens Various Sports Camps -$12 Binder Park Zoo Midwest Freefall -Adults $13.50 -Skydiving $229 Kalamazoo River Trail* Kalamazoo Nature Center * Oshtemo Township Park Disc Golfing*
Tigers Game -Tickets Start at $10
may 13, 2015
Summer Reading List
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Paper Towns by John Green A Young Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup Enders Game by Orson Scott Card The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Picture of Darian Grey by Oscar Wilde Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz The Last Hippie by Oliver Sacks I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 1984 by George Orwell Divergent by Veronica Roth Looking for Alaska by John Green The Last Summer of You and Me by Ann Brashares
Eastside Grocery Of Plainwell 519 E. Bridge St. Plainwell, MI 49080 Ph. (269)-685-8772 ~Deli Hours~ 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday thru Friday
Summer should be full of fun experiences with your friends and family that you remember for a long time. It’s supposed to be something you look back at and remember how happy you were to be surrounded by something or someone you love. Make your summer full of happiness and stay optimistic with an open planner! *Free
Aaron and Toby ~Owners~
10 || feature
the trojan torch
may 2015
Connor Wood is taking PHS by storm BY JERRAD FILLMORE STAFF WRITER
From opening up at the talent show to singing at lunch, Connor Wood ‘18 is making sure that the student body knows who he is. “Connor is a very nice kid and when I’m having a bad he is always there for me making me smile and laugh,” said Ian Fillmore ‘18. “Connor is a free spirited happy go lucky kid and will do anything to make you laugh, and he treats everyone the same. He is always in a good mood,” said Ej Finch ‘15. “I could talk to Connor for days and never get bored. He has so many interesting things to say,” said Tyler Gauthier ‘18. Wood gets good grades in his classes and likes being
involved in extracurricular activities. “My favorite subject in school is math because it’s fun and I like working with numbers,” said Wood. “Connor is a wonderful student and will get work done when needed, and he is very fun to have in class,” said Special Education aide Annalee Johnson. Wood really enjoys music, from playing music or singing or even just listening, he loves it all. His favorite genre of music is Christian Rap and his favorite artist is Andy Mineo. Wood opened at the talent show singing Start a Fire by Unspoken. “I chose this song because I really like what it means and I thought it reflected me as a person,” said Wood.
Wood also sang “God Bless America” at a K-Wings game for autism awareness over spring break. “It was a great experience for me to get out and sing in front of a crowd like that, and I wasn’t the slightest bit nervous,” said Wood. “My favorite performance was the 8th grade spring concert because it was the first time I got to sing alone in front of a big crowd.” Wood also excels in playing the drums in the school band. “Connor gets really mad in band practice because he learns so fast and they do the same thing in practice, and he doesn’t know why,” said Johnson. Outside of school and singing, Wood enjoys going to church, hanging out with
friends, and just relaxing at home. Wood also enjoys doing outdoor activities with his dad over the summer. “When I’m at my dads over the summer, we set up a tent in the backyard, build a fire, and act like we are camping.” said Wood. One of Wood’s favorite things to do is watching movies, his favorite being the Fast and Furious Series. “I went and saw Furious 7 the other day and that movie was off the hook hilarious,” said Wood. It’s not hard to conclude that being the one-of-a-kind, happy go lucky kid walking down the hallway, Wood can light up anyone’s day - even hardened seniors are not immune to his charms, despite their best efforts.
while they’re relaxing at home, there is a whole group of people who are cleaning, fixing, and making sure the school is ready to operate for the next day. One of these people is Plainwell High School Custodian Ernie Horton. Beginning his day at 10 a.m., Horton comes into the school and helps clean up from first lunch. He then meets with the administration to learn what’s going on at the school and where he is needed. “He’s all over, he does whatever we need him to,” said Plainwell High School Principal Jeremy Wright. From cleaning rooms, performing minor repairs, and taking out the trash, Horton truly does whatever is needed of him. Horton’s favorite part of his job is scrubbing the floors of the cafeteria, while his least favorite part is when kids get sick.
“It’s the worst part about my job,” said Horton. Horton doesn’t enjoy messy senior pranks. Particularly the glitter prank from the 2012 senior class. Horton also helps coordinate events in the evening and performs setup and teardown of the cafeteria for whatever event is going on that day. “He’s really helpful when setting up for the blood drives,” said spanish teacher Andrew Hanson. One thing many students don’t consider is that Horton’s work doesn’t end at the end of the school year like students. The custodians continue working through the summer to get the school completely cleaned and ready for the next school year--doing jobs including taking apart lights to clean them, stripping floors, and just general cleaning and maintenance of the school. Horton coordinates all
of that. Horton is a very valued worker at Plainwell High School. “Great work ethic, he’s reliable, his attendance is second to none,” said Director of Operations & Transportation Greg Smith. Horton has not missed a day of work in 10 years, and he’s been working here for 12. “He takes pride in the work that he does and takes ownership in the building; finding another person with those ethics would be difficult,” said Smith. Horton is known to be a quiet person around the school. “He’s a man of few words,” said english teacher Jason Grubaugh. “I’ve always been that way since I was in school,” said Horton. When he does talk, however, he’s said to be funny, and a great communicator.
Wood ‘18 pumps up the crowd as the PHS Talent Show opening act. Photo by Andrew Hansen
Ernie Horton: the man behind the broom BY DEVIN BRUNS AND JACOB SLATER STAFF WRITERS
While students are hard at work during school and
Custodian Ernie Horton takes time off to give a friendly smile. Photo by Maiah Lesher
“He can communicate with many different people, from children to adults,” said Smith. Being able to work with both students and administration is a very useful skill when working in a school. Despite the long hours, Horton manages to find time outside of work to hunt, fish and spend time with his girlfriend of 28 years. “I used to hunt deer and fished for bluegills just about anywhere.” said Horton. Horton also spends his time out of school watching sports and shows on the TV. He enjoys watching football, baseball, and racing. Along with sports, he watches reality shows like Survivor. “He’s a great guy and a hard worker,” Wright said. Horton may not be heard around the school, but his hard work is noticed by many.
11 || sports
the trojan torch
may 13, 2015
Good-looking season for boy golfers BY DAVIS KARKLINS STAFF WRITER
Players agree the golf team is looking very hopeful this year with the addition of new players along with the strenuous off-season work of returning varsity athletes. The golf team is consistently placing second and third for beginning of the season. The team plans to continue working hard to improve their placement in tournaments and meets. “Probably the best score there in probably at least six years. This team has worked hard this season,” said coach Scott Cool on mlive. “This is the first time in five
or six years that everyone shot a score under 100,” Cool clarified later. The addition of Hogan Yaw ‘15 has greatly affected the team in a positive way. Yaw, who is a first year player on the golf team is putting out good results. “Hogan Yaw helps a ton with the improvement of the team; he works hard, helps younger kids, and gets other varsity players on the course more,” said Cool. The rest of the team consists of returning program players including Hunter Born ‘15, Luke Vanslambrouck ‘16, Trent Joynt ‘16, Jake Gernaat ‘17 and Ben Wagner ‘16. The whole golf team is
showing great work at competition. The golf team’s top five scorers are all averaging under 100 for 18 holes. Even students such as Zach Chopp ‘16 have taken notice. “They are a good bunch of guys, and I think the team is looking very promising,” said Cool. Not only is the golf team working very hard to place well in tournaments, they also have new jerseys that the entire team is very excited to be wearing at meets. Last year’s jerseys were plain and not even the school’s colors, compared to this year’s Nike blue and
grey jerseys. “The new jerseys this years are pretty dope,” said Vanslambrouck. Vanslambrouck also says he is having a lot of fun this season in addition to the success on the course. Districts will take place throughout the week of May 20-May 23. Luke Vabsklambrouck’ 16 and Ben Wagner’ 16 smile on game day. Photo by Maiah Lesher
New athletes bring good vibes to ball diamonds BY CODY LAWS STAFF WRITER
Two new students, both from Delton, transferred over the summer. These two Sure, a new school year students have turned out to means more challenging make a great name for the classes, the hope of new ro- softball and baseball teams, mance, and maybe some new bringing a new level of enclothes. ergy and a new level of skills But it can also mean an to their new teams. infusion of new faces. This is The teams were lucky to especially true this year on have received these two key Plainwell ball diamonds. players, one varsity softball and the other on varsity baseball. Both athletes, Carlee Keim ‘14 and Trevor Millard ‘14, have brought their skills from Delton High School to Plainwell. Delton is a Class C school. Coming to Plainwell as a Class B school already is a challenge. The difference between Class C and Carlee Keim’ 16 watches closely as she runs Class B means more to home base. Photo by Kristen Graves students, more ath-
letes, and more of a challenge to make the team after tryouts. For Millard and Keim that was not a problem. “The biggest change coming from Delton to Plainwell was Plainwell is more enjoyable along with more competitive,” said Millard, “I wanted more of a challenge to better my skill sets. That’s what I have now that my team pushes me to do better.” Millard’s teammates are happy to have more talent on the team. “He’s a great friend off the field, but a better teammate on the field,” said Donovan Bloomfield ‘15, “He sometimes gets a little hyper during practices, but when it comes to getting serious Trevor is who you want on the field, one person gets down and the next play Trevor will pick you up.” Like the varsity baseball team, Keim’s teammates on the softball team were just as
happy to receive so much talent as well. After all it wouldn’t be as cool if only one of the teams received talent. “Like baseball, softball is just as hard, if not harder,” Keim said. Keim agreed with Millard’s motives: “I also wanted more of a challenge and here at Plainwell I am pushed not only by my team but also by her coaches.” Plainwell has had its ups and downs this season. Varsity softball coach Bernie Christopher commented, ”Having Carlee on the team defiantly benefits the program, she has great defensive skills, one of our best hitters on the team, and has created a great bond with the team.” Christopher continued to compliment Keim. “One word to describe her softball would be excellent, not only is she great on the field, but off the field Carlee shares and teaches some of
her skills to her teammates which is great to see as a coach.” said Christopher. “Carlee is such enthusiastic person, she is so fun at practices but takes her game days seriously,” said Keim’s teammate Kaylee Britten ‘15. “She also has great grades, Carlee is a student-athlete,” Christopher said. “As a team player we are all pushed to do good in school by coach, I take school seriously especially since I plan to play collegiate softball,” Keim said. ”I definitely see college softball in Carlee’s future, her arm, being coachable, and not only playing high school softball, but travel ball as well that will all benefit her when it comes to college level softball and she is only a junior,” said Christopher. Varsity baseball will be in their conference tournament round two on May 15. Varsity softball will be taking on WC at Otsego on May 16.
12 || photo may 13, 2015 Photo by Comedy Central
Photo upper left corner by Abby Benson Photo upper right corner provided by Ally Riston Photo lower left corner and middle by Maiah Lesher Photo lower right corner by Alan Shultz Photo middle right provided by Devin Cobble
the trojan torch