BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY january 2018 // volume ninety-seven
INVESTIGATING TC’S DEMOGRAPHICS
ON CLOUD NINE: VAPING AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
THE PLAGUE OF POLITICS
editors’ note Diversity is one of the fun-
and get their insight on
changes new men’s varsity
damental characteristics of
what their experience living
basketball head coach
our Northwestern Michigan
in Traverse City. We have
Trevor Schuba has made
community. In this issue,
collected unique stories
to the team as well as his
although we touch on all
of TCC students to share
goals for this season. Also
kinds of diversity (gender,
with our readers, from an
included in this issue: a fun
culture, and sexuality), race
individual that moved to
winter recipe, interviews
became a focus. It was
Traverse City from Bangla-
with the campus security
quite obvious to the BGQ
desh to minority students
guards, twisted protocol
staff that the majority of
that have spent their entire
for proper winter driving
our Traverse City population
lives in Traverse City and
and methods by which to
is caucasian. We began to
have much to share about
achieve a snow day.
contemplate this and cer-
their experience here.
tain questions arose: Why
Along with diversity, we
Lastly, we would also like to thank the library staff
is Traverses City’s racial
also decided to cover other
and student aides for all of
makeup so homogenous?
issues facing the student
their help this issue; they
What economic or social
body. In On Cloud Nine, we
provided us with informa-
factors go into creating
analyze the phenomenon
tion about Central varsity
an area’s demographic
behind vaping and its ties
coaches of the basketball
makeup? We looked into
to cigarette culture. We also
coaches team for the last
these and found some
detail statistics about the
51 years.
reasons that help explain
consequences of vaping
the white supermajority
and question its long-term
here. Ultimately, we thought
health consequences and
it important to recognize
risks.
and celebrate the diverse
On a somewhat lighter
students that we do have,
note, we looked into the
Send information, advertising and other inquiries to: Black & Gold Quarterly Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive Traverse City, MI 49686 Phone: (231) 933-3546 Email: filkinsji@tcaps.net 2 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
From the Pub,
BGQ
BLACK & GOLD QUARTERLY:JANUARY TWO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Andrea Bavikatty Kirsten Berkey CONTENT EDITORS Abigail Harnish Jack Myers Abigail Vannatter
18
SPORTS EDITOR Hayley Scollard BUISNESS MANAGER Baille Zipser PROMOTIONS EDITOR Hayley Scollard
16 20 4
18
28 24
Investigating Traverse City’s demographics, primarily racial diversity
Identity in Traverse City: getting to know the citizens of our town
A guide for all things winter: how to get snow days and drive in winter
10
20
26
Showcasing diversity: student perspectives
On Cloud Nine: Vaping and it’s consequences
Our recipe for coconut coffee
16
23
28
The Plague of Politics
Meet Central’s Security: James Brumfield and William Livingston
New coach, new perspectives
PHOTOGRAPHY Abigail Vannatter Olivia Wilson GRAPHICS Gwen Snyder Dahila Vincent STAFF WRITERS Sophia Boyce Paige Conners Jacqueline Gutierrez Alex Kent Ashtyn McGraw Gwen Snyder Dahila Vincent COVER PHOTOS Abigail Vannatter Olivia Wilson
MISSION STATEMENT: The Black and Gold Quarterly (BGQ) is Traverse City Central High School’s student-run magazine. Since its conception in 1886, our publication has evolved with the times, frequently changing in style, format, and even name. However, one factor has remained constant—our staff’s desire to capture the story of our community, to challenge the accepted, and to open our minds to perspectives that we hadn’t previously considered through investigation, research, and inquiry. We are constantly striving to improve our content and artistic elements; after all, the BGQ is a school publication, so educating both ourselves as well as our readers remains one of our primary goals.
DIVERSITY& TRAVERSECITY DIVERSITY& TRAVERSECITY DIVERSITY& TRAVERSECITY 4 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
Diversity is a very broad topic because essentially, diversity equates to difference. There are racial, sexual, cultural, socioeconomic and many other types of diversity. For this issue of the BGQ, we wanted to touch on as many types as we possibly could. Our focused definition of diversity pertains to the diversity we are born with, that we live with: race, culture, and sexual orientation affect how we live our day-to-day lives. While the United States is a melting pot, Traverse City is not very diverse. As a staff, the BGQ wanted to bring attention to this fact. We look at possible reasons why Traverse City is predominantly white, and how the students, parents and staff of Central High School think and react to this lack of diversity. Ultimately, our goal was to highlight and embrace the diversity we do have here at Central and the Traverse City Region.
Diversity Dilemma
The Graphic: G. Snyder
Jobs, education, community and diversity; what does the future hold for TC? by ANDREA BAVIKATTY Within the Northwestern Michigan region, a white majority exists, consisting of about 96 percent of the population. This population trend is frequently analyzed by the Traverse City community and specifically the Chamber of Commerce, according to Doug Luciani, CEO of TraverseCONNECT. One method by which the lack of racial diversity was addressed was with a series of roundtables hosted by the Northwestern Community College. The college invited a wide array of people to the discussions, during which they tried to determine what it would take for Traverse City to be more welcoming to minority groups. “In the group that I was in, there were a few African American participants who live here, and they were asked, ‘what drew you to the area?’” Luciani said. “It was the same things that attracted everyone else - they wanted to live in a beautiful, safe area, were retired, and could afford to live here. However, they told us that their kids were not interested in living here, as they could earn much more money living somewhere else and live with more people like them.” Traverse City runs the risk of losing young people, those who already live here and those who choose to not move here. Particularly if younger demographics are comparing Traverse City to an area that has more diversity, and therefore more experience and sensitivity toward race relations. Aili Simpson ‘18 can understand why the lack of diversity here could make Traverse City an attractive place for people of color. Adopted from China by a white family as a baby, Simpson has lived in Traverse City for her whole life. “When I was little, everyone I was 6 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
around was white, so I never noticed the racial divide,” Simpson said. “Objectively, I knew that I was different, and I knew that discrimination existed, but it never really happened to me. As I got older, I noticed that people would sometimes treat me differently.” Now, Simpson occasionally notices lack of sensitivity that the white majority possess towards diversity. For instance, at the beginning of the year Simpson reported being frequently asked if she was an exchange student. “People don’t ask my white friends if they’re exchange students,” observed Simpson.“I can tell that especially people from Asian families always notice that they’re different, and they feel that difference, being a student of color, more than I do,” Simpson said.
“We’re an area rich in arts and culture, but only one type of arts and culture.” Available jobs have a large impact on the people that live here already and those who might consider living here; Traverse City does not have many opportunities with high earning potential drawing people to the area from other regions of the country or world.
In order to effectively attract more minority employees to the area, Luciani believes that the Traverse City community has to be very intentional with recruiting. “As a community, we would have to set goals for hiring,” Luciani said. “We wouldn’t have mandatory quotas, but we would have to be more accommodating for the workforces coming here. There would have to be a major catalyst or employer that would say, ‘in order for me to be profitable or find the employees I need, I can’t rely on the Northern Michigan workforce.” However, even if Traverse City businesses were successful in finding employees from other areas, Luciani is not sure whether the Northern Michigan region is currently ready to support higher levels of racial diversity. This area does not necessarily have the events, religious institutions, or stores that people with different cultures may look for. And while one solution to fixing with this issue would be to encourage the opening of business that cater to a more diverse audience, without the current base to support them, keeping them open would be difficult. Luciani sees two possibilities. “We can try to introduce things that people from cultures that aren’t represented here yet would like and not be able to support it with our current market, or wait until there’s more of a critical mass of those groups and let them bring their culture in. For example, we would have to make sure that our pharmacies sell certain products that people from different countries or cultures would expect to have here. If there’s a mosque in the area, we would have to subsidize it and make sure it’s supported until we have enough people that can support it.”
The idea of intentionally recruiting people from other areas of the country or world can be highly controversial. Whenever the idea of increasing diversity in the region arises, there are people that tend to resist it, according to Luciani. Reasons for this resistance range from concern for the decreasing amount of job opportunities with an new influx of people to a general opposition to change. As Luciani suggests “We could say “oh, those are the racists in the population,” but they aren’t necessarily. They’re people that feel that we’re already welcoming, and are wondering ‘why do I have to change my lifestyle or the way I do things to be more ‘welcoming’ when I’m really being judged by how others perceive me?’ There’s a lot of contributing factors, but at the end of the day, it’s just not an overly welcoming environment for individuals belonging to minority group, just like it wouldn’t be for anyone if they were in a place where there is almost nobody like them.” Additionally, Luciani suspects that some of the reasons that Traverse City is not particularly attractive to members of minority groups are the same reasons young people in general would not be interested in this area; Traverse City does not have all of the resources that most millenials would look for in a place to live. “Millenials want to find safe, affordable housing, access to childcare, good schools, lots of things to do, and jobs that pay a good amount with opportunities for upward mobility,” according to Luciani. “Traverse City right now offers almost none of those things.” For these reasons, a young family looking for a place to move might not select Traverse City as the ideal place to live. The lack of some these factors combined with the sparse amount of diversity in the area may rule out Traverse City entirely. In addition, though Traverse City may appear to have high-earning jobs for educated individuals available, there are few opportunities for upward mobility. For instance, there is no university in Traverse City, so the possibility of earning a graduate degree here is far smaller than it would be in a more urban area. “There are some programs for Master’s degrees here, but they don’t have the same draw as Northwestern in Chicago, or the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.” Luciani said. “Also, if you moved back to Traverse City as an engineer, you could probably get a job fairly easily, but would you be able to move up in your firm, or if you lost your job, would you be able to find another one very easily? Not as easily as you would in another area. Your chances are so much slimmer in a rural area than they would be a more urban community, so recently, the trend in movement has been toward urban communities.” Thus the complexity of the diversity issue has much to do with
“People don’t ask my white friends if they’re exchange students,”
what Traverse City is presently and what the future holds for the economic and demographic development of the region, not to mention the urbanization, presenting the question, what do we want Traverse City to look like in the future? DIVERSITY IN CENTRAL: Central’s demographics are reflective of Traverse City’s; an overwhelming majority, at least 89%, of students are caucasian. In such a racially homogeneous area, topics such as racial relations and discrimination, are frequently overlooked. To address such subjects, Diane Burden has started a Cultural Diversity Group at Central. Right now, the club TCC Social Worker consists of a small number of students, primarily of color, however, Burden aims to begin adding additional members once the existing group is further solidified and ready to expand. When the group meets, Burden mentions that they discuss their experiences as a racial minority in Traverse City along with other racial issues. Nonetheless, Burden’s main goal for the group is to bring different students together to recognize, that despite their different racial experiences, they all share some kind of commonality. “My whole attempt with this group is to bring different kids together so that we can see our sameness. We might look very different from each other, but we have many things in common. I think that this lesson can go a really long way.” Since Burden frequently meets with any student or staff member that has a concern they need to address, she handles any racially-related incidents, which have increased this year, according to Burden. And while even though there are not many aggressive or violent displays of racism at Central, Burden does recognize that there are occasional racially-biased microaggressions, or “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color,” as defined by Columbia professor Derald Sue in his book Counseling the Culturally Diverse. “Usually the race issues we have here are subtle,” Burden said. “They’re often little things, like the way we divide ourselves into groups, the people we interact with in the classroom, or what kinds of preconceived notions we have about the ability of a person based on how they look. I think there could also be incidents on social media that we don’t know about or aren’t necessarily seeing.” Simpson also has experience dealing with these microaggressions in school; most of the issues she has encountered have involved subtle actions that result in alienation of people of color. “It’s instances like when the teacher starts talking about Japanese internment, and since I’m the only Asian in the room,
Aili Simpson ‘18 was adopted from China at nine months old. “I don’t ask white people where they are really from because I think of them as really from America,” Simpson said. “However, Asian people get asked where they are really from because they are not thought of as American.”
everyone turns around and looks at me, that make me feel different. The alienation is especially prevalent when white people ask things like ‘where are you really from?’ They don’t ask that of other white people, which implies that they think of white people as American and Asian people as not American, or foreign.” Burden’s Cultural Diversity Group is one possible way that Central students could gain more education and sensitivity for race issues, however, the group currently only reaches a small amount of students. In order to reach a larger audience, Burden believes that diversity programs could be implemented in elementary schools and the district should focus on expanding the history curriculum to cover events from more minority perspectives, such as from African American, Native American as well as women. “If you look at history what we learn in history, it is primarily told from a caucasian male perspective on topics like slavery, war, and politics.” Burden said. “I think that trying to diversify the points of view and events that we cover in classes would be a good first step to preparing them for living in a more diverse place someday.” For both members of the racial supermajority
“Within our school, I think we need to put more energy into talking about racial differences.” and minority, living in a community that is quite racially homogenous can have impacts on how race relations are viewed. “My mother is from Mississippi and race relations are very different there,” Luciani said. “There is open racism there; it’s no secret. Black and white people 8 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
understand and interact with each other much more than they do here, but they come with all kinds of preconceived notions about a race because they’ve grown up experiencing incidents that create racial tension. I think that growing up in such a homogenous population, we don’t carry with us that kind of baggage into schools, communities, and workplaces if we move to more diverse areas.” What Luciani suggests is that living in an area with smaller amounts of diversity can surprisingly result in individuals having a “clean slate” or few preconceived judgements of other races as they have had so little experience with race relations. Conversely, this effect can also work the other way too – since these individuals have had so few interactions with people of another race, they are especially susceptible to believing in racial stereotypes they learned from friends in other cities, social media, or news stories. Burden feels that “The bottom line of this is we fear what we don’t understand. Within our school, I think we need to put more energy into talking about those racial differences. Especially with the weird events that have been going on in the news with the white separatists movement. I think we really need to start talking about this, and that encountering diversity is an important thing for us to be including in our curriculum.” Paying more attention to race issues in school could result in increased sensitivity of white students to racial problems in school. For instance, during her freshman year, Simpson experienced a race-based situation that had made her feel uncomfortable, but had not received much support from classmates upon telling them about it. “Looking back at that situation, many people made me feel I was wrong to be offended, and a lot of people said I was overreacting,” Simpson said. “That was bad for my self-esteem too, because I felt like my opinion wasn’t valued. If I felt discriminated against, that was just me being oversensitive.” While I was conducting the research and interviews necessary to explain why Traverse City’s is not attracting young, diverse individ-
Photo: A. Vannatter
uals, there were several contributing factors that caught my attention. Like many small towns across America, Traverse City primarily offers low-paying jobs in the service industry and few opportunities for upward mobility for professionals in general, and young professionals in particular. In a small town like Traverse City though, it’s no surprise that large corporate centers or a major, prestigious Universities don’t exist; after all, not all towns in the United States can, nor should be a duplicate of Chicago or New York. Furthermore, many of these reasons (such as previously stated lack of various high paying jobs and opportunities for advancement) were the same reasons I will most likely live elsewhere as an adult. I am planning on leaving Traverse City to pursue degrees in political science. The simple fact is Traverse City does not offer the kind of opportunities I would like for my college education. At a major university, I will be exposed to thousands of new people, including faculty members internationally renowned in their fields, high-profile speakers, etc., not to mention internships with major political institutions. In Traverse City, we just don’t have those opportunities, or at least the breadth of opportunities available in a University located in a large city. After college or graduate school, what are the chances I will be able to find career opportunities in my field (constitutional law, perhaps) in this area? My own reasons for leaving Traverse City, as well as the future plans of many of my peers reflect the trend that Luciani describes playing out in real life-that the majority of young people will continue to leave Traverse City in order to pursue better opportunities for their education and career. Like the question posed at NMC’s roundtables, if this region is slowly driving away young talent, will this trend be harmful for Traverse City’s long-term sustainability? If Northwestern Michigan would like to be successful in the future, perhaps this community should further address the resources and characteristics that attract a young and diverse population. //
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WIFI
Breaking down
MICHIGAN
by SOPHIE BOYCE & ABIGAIL HARNISH
We broke down the populations of various cities in Michigan to find out how diverse we are. To do this as accurately as possible, we selected shades of blue to represent the different levels of diversity: the darker the blue, the more diverse the city is.
Marquette
Escanaba
Color Codeing: the darker color of blue = more diverse population
Traverse City
Warren Grand Rapids Culterville
Owosso
Sterling Heights
Berkley
Lansing Ann Arbor
Graphic: G. Snyder
10 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
Detroit
Lansing
Grand Rapids
Ann Arbor
Total Population: 114,620 Caucasian: 53.7% Hispanic: 12.5% African American: 22.9% Asian: 3.5% American Indian: 0.3%
Total Population: 193,792 Caucasian:61.1% Hispanic: 16% African American: 16.6% Asian: 2.3% American Indian: 0.1%
Total Population: 117,770 Caucasian: 70.1% Hispanic: 4.4% African American: 7.3% Asian: 14.4% American Indian: 0.3%
Warren
Detroit
Culterville
Total Population: 130,099 Caucasian: 71.3% Hispanic: 3.1% African American: 6.7% Asian: 2.0% American Indian: 0.5%
Total Population: 680,250 Caucasian: 9.5% Hispanic: 8.0% African American: 79.2% Asian: 1.3% American Indian: 0.2%
Total Population: 14,370 Caucasian: 78.3% Hispanic: 7.6% African American: 7.8% Asian: 2.3% American Indian: 0.2%
Sterling Heights
Marquette
Berkley
Total Population: 131,741 Caucasian: 81.3% Hispanic: 2.2% African American: 5.7% Asian: 8.1% American Indian: 0.03%
Total Population: 21,441 Caucasian: 88.8% Hispanic: 1.6% African American: 4.2% Asian: 0.9% American Indian: 1.6%
Total Population: 15,273 Caucasian: 91.3% Hispanic: 2.7% African American: 2.4% Asian: 0.8% American Indian: 0.3%
Escanaba
Traverse City
Owosso
Total Population: 12,413 Caucasian: 91.6% Hispanic: 1.6% African American: 0.7% Asian: 0.06% American Indian: 2.5%
Total Population: 15,042 Caucasian: 96.2% Hispanic : 3.1% African American: 1.5% Asian: 0.08% American Indian: 0.5%
Total Population: 14,779 Caucasian: 92% Hispanic: 5.2% African American: 0.3% Asian: 0.04% American Indian: 0.4% Data source: City-Data.com
SHOWCASI
How are you diverse? “I am half Philipino, which is different from the majority of the student population.” What’s something that’s interesting about you? “I am completely obsessed with juice boxes.” 12 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
JADE TURNER
N G DIVERSITY DIVERSITY Sum up your life story. “I was born in Traverse City. My dad is a doctor and my mom works at Haggerty. I have never moved or anything, but I travel sometimes.”
What do you think about TC in general in regards to diversity? “I’ve looked this up actually. I think there are, like, 127 total Asians in Traverse City. So not very diverse.”
MAX CHUNG MAC “Six words that sum up my life: Joyous, passionate,preserve, aspire, musical, grateful“
SOPHIE HAAS
“I’m not diverse in many ways as an individual. I am Jewish and bisexual, but not much else. In the greater scheme of things however I try to be as diverse as possible. I try to get exposed to and learn from as many different mindsets, cultures and people as possible.”
All photos: O. Wilson & A. Vanatter
JENNA FERRIS
JAYLAH FERRIS
All photos: O. Wilson & A. Vanatter
What does diversity mean to you? JENNA: “Being divided by some trait you have that’s different from everyone else of a different varieties” How are you diverse? JENNA: “I’m African American and there’s not many people in this school or city that are African American. Not many people are open minded about it”
14 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
What’s your life story in a nutshell? JAYLAH: “When I was two, my mom got sick with lupus had a stroke and died, my brother was eight and my twin was obviously two, also. And then the people that adopted my mom adopted Jenna and I, so we live with them now. That’s pretty much the main thing. Now, our brother is eighteen, so he moved out, and Jenna and I are the only blood family because everyone else is just the adopted part. We have family in Detroit, but we don’t know them.”
ABE STONE
“I was born in China and that is obviously a big thing for me because I remember being in elementary school and I was probably one of the few Asian people in the school, so that was kind of different... I feel like sometimes I’m just part of the crowd and there’s nothing really different about me, but then I realize I am different.” “I definitely wanna be somebody who people can look up to in the future. Definitely want to be a role model. I want to help people, I want to be a dermatologist. I feel like going into the medical field could really help people, so that’s one of my goals in life.”
“Being gay is definitely more than an attraction. It’s absolutely part of who I am and who I identify as, since so many parts of my personality have come from my coming out and being gay experience. I think to say ‘I’m gay but I’m not the gay stereotype’ is just internalized not wanting to be part of the gay community. I can’t just say I’m just a guy that likes guys because I’m gay and I’m not afraid to admit it. It’s something that’s part of who I am. Being gay is not a characteristic or weird thing about me that people automatically think of, it’s just an ingrained thing. It’s like having brown hair.”
LIA COOK
Photo: A. Vannatter
the
Plague
of
Politics
Ahnaf Rabbani ‘21 left his home country Bangladesh at the age ten, due to political corruption and attacks on his father. 16 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
by JACK MYERS In the United States of America, freedom of speech, expression, and assembly are rights held dear and ensured by the First Amendment of the Constitution. In some parts of the world, however, these rights are not guaranteed nor are they protected. Central student Ahnaf Rabbani ‘21 knows this all too well. Only a few years ago, Rabbani lived in Bangladesh, a small yet populous country in South Asia. Unfortunately, Bangladesh has a government that no longer upholds the principles of democracy. The Rabbani family lived in a nice home and had the ability to travel abroad annually. However, this life of luxury crumbled in the wake of political corruption. Ahnaf’s father was active in politics, but his political ideology differed from the ruling government, which many consider to be corrupt. The government retaliated with violence. In Bangladesh, there are two main political parties: the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), which currently holds power of the nation, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Bangladesh claims be a republic, but corruption plagues the nation. Golam Rabbani, Ahnaf’s father and a former lawyer at the Bangladesh Supreme Court, ran for mayor of Chauddagram, a city in the Comilla district. However, the government controlled by the BAL ordered the police to harass and commit acts of violence against the Rabbanis. “Police would come raid our house, even in the middle of the night, because they were ordered to,” remembers Ahnaf. “Police attacked my father at a political rally and broke his left arm into four pieces. I am certain the absolute goal of the Bangladesh Awami League was to kill my father because they did not like him running for mayor of Chauddagram.” In another incident, Mrs. Rabbani* remembers, “police came to our house at three in the morning to find my husband, even though he wasn’t there. They broke a lot of our furniture, and my daughter, who was two at the time, was very scared because of what was going on. We thought
Pictured is Ahnaf Rabbani ‘21’s family while they lived in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Although they reminsce their previous lives, they are thankful to be alive. “If you don’t live, what is the meaning of anything else?” Mrs. Rabbani said. “So I am alive, my husband is alive, and I dream of my kids. I want them to pursue a good education.”
Photo: courtesy of A. Rabbani
they were going to kill us.” The Rabbanis decided to flee Bangladesh. However, they were not able to leave immediately due to legal documentation requirements. “My family and I had to stay away from our house for about a year before we were able to leave Bangladesh and come to the United States because police would have found and attacked us within our own home,” Ahnaf said. “We would move from one place to another or stay at my dad’s friends’ houses.” After this traumatic series of events, the Rabbani family arrived in America. Before coming to Michigan, they lived in New York City. “We came to Michigan because we had
“Police would come raid our house, even in the middle of the night, because they were ordered to.” a friend that had an empty apartment in Port Huron,” Mrs. Rabbani said. Eventually, the Rabbanis found their way to Traverse City via Justice For Our Neighbors, an organization that helps people in the process of legal immigration. Living in America has exposed Ahnaf to new people and a different culture. Although adapting to societal differences presented a few challenges, he has largely enjoyed his time in America. “My experience in the United States has been majestic, and I grow to enjoy it more everyday.” According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, the current prime minister and leader of the BAL, Sheikh Hasina, and forty-six other members of the BAL have been accused of murdering members of rival
political parties. “If there is one thing I could do to improve Bangladesh today, I would pick a new leader,” Ahnaf said. Though Golam was a lawyer in Bangladesh, he also worked as a social worker and researcher. He helped to introduce social work activities in politics and founded a social organization in Bangladesh known as International Migration Foundation. But the ruling government did not like his political activities and threatened to kidnap Ahnaf from school. Before fleeing, Mrs. Rabbani, Ahnaf’s mother, was the chief executive officer for an organization known as National Youth Forum of Bangladesh (NYFB) which taught leadership and job skills to young adults around the country. According to Mrs. Rabbani, “the organization helped young people of Bangladesh, so they would be able to get good jobs or be able to start their own business. We also partnered with universities to host a national event known as Bangladesh Youth Parliament, which had kids come from all over the country.” Mrs. Rabbani also wishes to return to Bangladesh one day and hopes for it to be a safer place. However, she has no desire to permanently live in Bangladesh again. “In the past few years my kids have become accustomed with American culture and the education system. If we were to permanently move back there, it would be tough for them to go to school there because both of the countries’ education systems are quite different.” While the Rabbanis desire to return to Bangladesh, they continue to face obstacles; the BAL continues to hold political control of Bangladesh. This means rights like freedom of speech, expression and assembly, rights many of us here in the United States take for granted, are largely non-existent in Bangladesh. And unless the political landscape changes, a return to Bangladesh for the Rabbanis is unlikely. //
Moving from school to school can be demanding on a teenager’s academia and social standpoint. Davis Price ‘18 has moved over seventeen times throughout his life. Despite his changing surroundings, Price has never let it ruin the way he lives. He is now journeying into his second year at Central and is here to stay till graduation.
“
I define myself as someone who has an unwavering care for his friends. I’m always down to help friends through things if they are struggling in life, because what else are friends for. - davis price
davis price
”
identityin
traverse city by ABIGAIL VANNATTER & OLIVIA WILSON
18 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
central high school
traverse city, michigan
ryan frost
Staying strong no matter what is an essential part of how Ryan Frost, senior, lives his life. Having younger siblings gives him a reason to keep pushing the limits of his abilities. Frost knows his little brother and sister look up to him; He is strong for them.
paul stebleton
“
christopher lee burkhead
photo by: Ewan Martin
I’ve been collecting books for twenty-five years. I get sentimental when I see the books go, but I know they are going to new homes with people who will care for them.
”
“
Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Nothing is real, everything is possible.
”
In our spinoff of Humans of New York, the Black & Gold Quarterly went out into the Grand Traverse community in search of uniquity. Our mission was to find inspiring stories and share them to encourage self-expression. Through a variety of randomly selected people, we were able to find one commonality—passion. Stories like theirs are what make us believe in the power that comes from expression through journalism. People are art. We feel when combining their words with a visual story, a unique and inspiring message is created. Members of our community have conveyed their identities and inspired us through their words and sense of passion. To us, this is the truest kind of journalism—finding moving stories and sharing them. //
Photo: A. Vannatter
On
Cloud
Nine 20 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018 20 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
by KIRSTEN BERKEY with ASHTYN MCGRAW Ryan Towers ‘19 feels “Vaping is a better alternative to smoking cigarettes and it’s fun to do.” Towers is not alone in this feeling as many young people today are choosing to vape. The face of smoking has changed. An increasing number of adolescents are turning away from cigarettes and instead towards e-cigarettes, also known as vapes. In fact, according to WebMD, “In 2011, less than 2 in 100 high school students said they used e-cigarettes. By 2015, 16 out of 100 had.” While asking TCC students why they vape, they responded with a myriad of answers. Students explained how they felt cooler while vaping, that they enjoyed the buzz from the
nicotine inside some vapes, or how vaping just helped pass the time. Several students who chose to be anonymous because of possible disciplinary ramifications said “vapes feel safer than cigarettes.” The glamorization of vaping and smoking is starkly similar. In the 1900’s, cigarette use increased due to numerous reasons, including the addictive properties of nicotine, the idealization of smoking, and the lack of scientific data on the long term effects of smoking. Cigarette use hit its peak in 1962 when an estimated 4,345 cigarettes were consumed per adult that year, according to the National Academies Press (NAP). The US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes
of Health details how doctors even used to prescribe and recommend cigarette use to patients to help stress and other illnesses. In the 1900’s, there was an extreme lack of data about the effects of smoking. Modern research has found that “cigarettes give off about 7,000 chemicals when burned, and at least 69 of those chemicals cause cancer” according to the American Lung Association. Today, regardless of the known consequences of smoking, individuals still choose to pick up smoking devices that have wellknown repercussions to their health. Although, comparing vaping to smoking is like comparing apples to oranges, both fall in the same category of smoking devices, but they are different
Photo: O. Wilson
types of smoking products. Vapes appear to be safer than regular cigarettes because they contain no tobacco or tar, according to the Surgeon General’s Report. However, the fact vapes do not contain tobacco or tar does not dismiss the blatant health hazards inhaling chemicals has on the body. E-cigarettes and other “electronic nicotine delivery systems” (ENDS) operate off of a lithium battery that can be charged by a USB cord. On most vapes, the smoker can press a button that heats up the coils in the vape, creating vapor that the smoker can inhale. While an individual is vaping, they inhale aerosols, which are full of potentially harmful chemicals and carcinogens like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein which can cause damaged lungs and heart disease according to WebMD. In addition, nicotine is highly addictive and can be associated with “abnormal brain development, mood problems, and other drug-seeking behaviors” Surgeon General’s Report and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. In addition, “Harvard University researchers found diacetyl, a flavoring chemical, in most of the e-cigarettes and e-liquids tested. Diacetyl has been linked to a respiratory disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, 22 22////BGQ BGQ////JANUARY JANUARY2018 2018
also known as “popcorn lungs,” according to WedMD. Ultimately, more research must be conducted to examine the long term effects of vapes, as they are fairly new technology. For example, just in 2016, “the FDA finalized a rule extending CTP’s (Center for Tobacco Products) regulatory authority to cover all tobacco products, including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that meet the definition of a tobacco product,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vapes are marketed as way to help adults quit smoking and conquer the addictive cycle of nicotine and the undeniable health risks associated with cigarette smoking. The CDC found that most adults who began using e-cigarettes didn’t quit smoking cigarettes and instead utilized both products. Perhaps the most alarming trend is that 40% of adult vapers did not smoke cigarettes prior to smoking e-cigarettes, illustrating how e-cigarettes may not be detering individuals from smoking, but encouraging it instead. Additionally, vapes have increased in popularity with young people. An individual must be 18 in order to purchase a vape, but it is very easy for adolescents to purchase vapes
online. The CDC details how vapes are now the most commonly used nicotine product among youth. In addition, a 2016 study in pediatrics found that adolescents who never smoked but utilized e-cigarettes were 6 times more likely to smoke regular cigarettes. Regardless of the health risks vaping poses, it is probable to say vaping is, perhaps, less damaging than smoking cigarettes. However, it is important to remember that just because vaping is less dangerous than smoking, vaping still has not been proven safe or healthy. The following analogy applies: an addiction to caffeine is less harmful than an addiction to heroine. Although, the addiction to caffeine still has negative effects on the brain and body; it has been proven to be less harmful than heroin. Individuals who decide to try a cigarette or vape simply can not claim naivety about the health dangers associated with cigarette or vape use in a world where information is ubiquitous by virtue of the internet and media, social and otherwise. Those who choose to smoke or vape choose to turn a blind eye to the possible lifelong repercussions. On a larger scale, this human trait underscores humanity’s behavior with regard to many global issues, which is a very sobering and scary realization. //
James Brumfield
Graphic: A. Vannatter
by KIRSTEN BERKEY
As a security guard at Central, Brumfield loves his job because it allows him to connect with people all day. “I have a sense of pride with my ability to make connections to people,” Brumfield said. “I love working with people, and what better place to work than with our future leaders than in high school.” Brumfield grew up mostly in Baldwin, Michigan, but because of his family’s involvement in the military, he traveled a lot when he was young. “I am an army brat. I grew up partly in Germany, Georgia, and then I came back to Baldwin.” After high school, Brumfield joined the Marines. The four years he spent in the Corps. included tours in Somalia, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. His education includes earning a Commercial Driving License (CDL) and certification for Truck Transport from Ferris State University. Brumfield has lived in Traverse City for 21 years and not surprisingly, family reigns as the most important thing to Brumfield. “Family is beyond blood,” Brumfield said. “Family is people you interact or don’t interact with. There is a bond
there that can’t be broken beyond space or time. I consider several of my own players family. A lot of kids in TC that I watched grow up are part of my family too. I love being a dad. Being a parent is my favorite hobby.” Brumfield was recently named head basketball coach as Kingsley High School and has served as assistant girls basketball coach here at Central, while also coaching boys and girls basketball at East Middle School. It is easy to see that Brumfield has been involved with basketball for many years and loves coaching and teaching his players. Some of Brumfield’s own children play basketball as well, allowing him to be involved in some of his favorite things: basketball, people, and family. “I have really enjoyed being involved in my children’s athletics,” Brumfield said. “I wouldn’t change anything about that experience. The time goes by fast. I took as many videos and pictures as I could. All that is left is the memories. My kids did every sport possible and I loved every second of it.”
Graphic: D. Vincent
According to Central security guard, William Livingston, his job is to keep “everybody safe and ensure that everyone gets home safely each day.” Not surprisingly, Livingston, whose goal is to be a teacher, sees one of the perks of his job as “just being with the students and trying to put a smile on somebody’s face.” Livingston was born in Houston, Texas, but was raised in Detroit, Michigan with his older sister Kuipiio and younger sister Maria. He graduated from Traverse City Senior High in 1996 and attended Central Michigan University where he earned a teaching degree in education that allows him to teach any subject kindergarten through 5th grade, and 6th through 8th grade science. He has lived in Traverse City since he was 14 years old. “I love everything about Traverse City. This is where I learned to be me, how to be responsible, and how to have a family,” Livingston said. He plans on becoming a teacher in the future. In the meantime, his plan is to stay connected to the school environment as a security guard here at Central until he can have a classroom of his own. In addition to teaching, Livingston is a worship
Graphic: A. Vannatter
leader at Greater Life Apostolic Church, which was introduced to him when he first moved to Traverse City. Livingston is part of the choir and he sings at services. He grew up surrounded by music, most of his family members were involved in choir and other musical activities. “Music has allowed me to open up and has brought me peace,” Livingston said. “When I was younger, I was kind of quiet and closed off, but singing allows me to express myself and releases whatever I have bottled up, allowing me to be free and enjoy singing. Music has allowed me to open up. I remember when I moved up to Traverse City...I didn’t talk to a lot of people [and] a lot of people didn’t know me, but when I started singing it gave me confidence and it allowed me to open up and even make mistakes and be okay with them.” Livingston primarily enjoys Christian music because it calms him when he is having a bad day, centers him, and allows him to have a clear mind. “Music means a lot to me. Music means everything.” When Livingston isn’t keeping the campus secure, he can often be found in the auditorium playing piano and belting out gospel tunes.
William Livingston by JACQUELINE GUTIERREZ
A Guide for Winter
The BGQ offers “insight” for winter driving and conjuring a snowday by JACQUELINE GUTIERREZ & JACK MYERS
Driving in a Winter Wonderland All Graphics: G. Snyder and D. Vincent
Speed
Tailgate
Walk or have others drive you
True badasses of the road would agree that speed is what driving is all about. The uncertain conditions of winter enhance the thrill of speed. Now, your parents and driving instructors will tell you to follow the speed limits, and sometimes insist on driving under the speed limit. Sure, they have driven through countless winters and have far more driving experience, however, somewhere in all those miles they have become complacent and live in a world of anti-lock brakes, back up cameras, and lane assist. In other words, they have lost their need for speed. Students are expected to arrive on time every day to school, even in treacherous weather conditions. Let’s face it, we rarely have snow days, leaving us with one option—speeding. Who in their right mind leaves their house with enough time to get to school? That is so cliché and requires getting up early, which is the worst. It is so much better to arrive on time after speeding with only a few near crashes on the way.
When driving on an icy road, one must always be cautious. At any moment your vehicle could slip, slide, flip, or spin. Due to the uncertainty of the road conditions, it is necessary that you take precautions while driving. One way to prevent any sort of slip, slide, flip, or spin on the road is to tailgate the car in front of you. Now this might sound crazy, and opposite of what driver’s education teaches you, but trust me, if your car starts to move out of your control, the car in front of you will act as a buffer. The momentum of your vehicle will be transferred to the other car, and you will be back in control. Now the other car may spin out of control, but if they follow the BGQ’s driving tips as well, they will have nothing to worry about and they will be able to pass off the momentum to the car in front of them.
If you have come to the conclusion that the BGQ’s previous winter driving tips are not satisfactory, then I urge you walk everywhere. Your driving skills are just not up to par. You would be going too slow, obviously, and if you were to slide on the road, there would not be another vehicle to prevent you from sliding off into a ditch. This is very, very distressing and only endangers yourself and others. If you walk, you will not be able to pose as big of a threat because you will be much lighter and slower than a car. Now, this is not to say you cannot travel in a car, it is just that you cannot drive it. Find someone that is brave and skillful, unlike yourself, and trust me, it is much faster than walking. As long as they follow the BGQ’s tips, then TC will be a much better and safer place.
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Conjuring a School Closure Coffee on the Road We all know alarm clocks are annoying. They ring until we muster the willpower to finally wake up and turn them off. To balance this nuisance, many people drink coffee, especially teachers. It is warm and dependable, making it the closest thing to a best friend. But did you know that us students could use coffee to obtain a snow day? First, all of the student body must band together. Second, we will proceed to purchase one small coffee per person. Third, we place the coffees on major roads during the dead hours of the night. Then wait. When the school officials crawl out of bed to decide if we have a snow day, they will be caught off guard by the coffee in the streets. As normal adults, they will most likely stop at the sight of free coffee. The roads, blocked by the coffee and confused adults, will induce a road closure and force the officials to call a snow day because the roads will obviously be too dangerous to drive on. While the adults are busy clearing the road, we students will wake up and check the TCAPS website to see if we have a snowday and when we do, we will see the fruits, or more accurately beans, of our labor.
Pouring water on the road Not everyone is a big fan of going to school in winter. It is very cold and no one likes to get out of bed to go outside just to experience gusting arctic winds blowing while attempting to drive to school or while waiting outside for a bus to arrive, both of which can sometimes feel like an eternity during winter. School often gets called off when the roads are dangerous because of ice. This happens when it rains overnight and the water on the roads freeze resulting in a snow day. Why not band together and pour just enough water on the roads to make them seem like an ice skating rink by the next morning? It is not only students who wish for a snow day everyday; teachers also dream of having a snow day once in awhile too. Sure, we will benefit, but we will be doing our teachers a favor too. Sometimes even teachers need a break from school to recharge their brains with hot chocolate and cookies. If this plan goes well, school will be called off and we will all be able to sleep in and watch Netflix all day.
Taking the Superintendent’s phones If there is one way to ensure a foolproof snow day, it is to confiscate the cellphone of the superintendent. Like many people, I am sure our superintendent uses his phone as an alarm to wake up in the mornings. If he does not have an alarm, will Superintendent Soma really get up at 4am on his own? Probably not. If the Superintendent is not awake to make the decision about school, I am absolutely sure the other TCAPS officials will be in a state of disarray. The officials will be very confused of what to do next, they will have no choice but to cancel school in order to recuperate from their loss of the superintendent’s directions. When Mr. Soma does wakes up, he will be shocked but relieved of the unexpected snow day and he will congratulate his colleagues for making the right call, possibly declaring a district wide celebration with another snow day. If Mr. Soma uses an actual alarm clock, well, confiscating his phone will still be for the greater good because a mass text could be sent to the entire district declaring a snow day. Trust me, there is no way this plan can go wrong at all. //
TAKE A SIP
Crock pot coffee may be the best thing that has happened to Northern igan winters. In honor of the winter season, The BGQ offers an easy and cious coffee recipe to keep you warm and cozy on cold days. Follow the ple instructions and you will be brewing up your own pot of happiness.
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P
Michd deliese sim-
Coconut Coffee ingredients - 4 cups coconut milk, original or vanilla - 3 cups very strong brewed coffee (2 cups if you prefer a weaker coffee taste) - 1 tsp vanilla - cinnamon sugar to taste - whipped cream (optional)
steps 1. Combine brewed coffee, coconut milk, and vanilla in a crock pot. Whisk together. 2. If desired, add cinnamon sugar to taste while whisking. I used about a tablespoon. 3. Set the crockpot to warm and let sit for 2-3 hours or until hot. You can also prepare this the night before setting the crockpot on low to sit overnight. 4. Serve warm in individual mugs and top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!
New
coach,
perspectives
Coach Schuba motivates players during Midday Madness.
by ALEX KENT When a school hires a new coach for any sport, it can be a challenge for both students and coaches. Players must become familiar with the coach’s style of play, techniques and coaching philosophy, but perhaps more importantly, a bond will also develop between the team and coach when they work together over a long period of time. Saying goodbye to a coach causes stress and uncertainty that is compounded by adapting to a new coach. Going into the basketball season this year, new head coach Travis Schuba was an unknown to the varsity squad, sharing a new coaching style with the team. “My philosophy would be to play fast and let the boys play free obviously play hard on defense,” Schuba said. “I want us to be a defensive team and then just play together. I think we have some great talent if we can get that talent to combine as one, then I think we’ll be really hard to beat.” Like learning how to earn the trust of his players, his coaching style was developed through years of experience. “I think about all the opportunities I’ve been given playing the sport that I love. I just want to give back to the kids and use those experiences that I’ve gained. The knowledge that I’ve gained over 28 // BGQ // JANUARY 2018
playing my whole life, the people that I’ve met, and the knowledge that I’ve gained from those people.” Schuba knows the team goal is to earn their place at the district and regional championships, and shares these similar goals. “There are multiple definitions of success,” according to Schuba. “I think the biggest goal for me is that we improve each day. I think we had a great first practice after two days of tryouts. I was very happy on how we handled the new things we put in.” If the team’s 6-3 start to the season is any indication, both players and coaches seem to be on the same page. How players behave on the court is important, but so is their behavior off the court. As Central Athletic Director Mark Mattson puts it, “I want them to be well in respect to our community. I want them to be people that are going to make you, their team, me, and everybody else associated with whatever activities in our school, a better program and a better place to be.” Mattson also has specific traits he looks for in new coaches for any sport. “I look for somebody that I can trust will treat our students and our parents with the most respect at all times. Somebody who will be a
leader in our school. Somebody who will treat our opponents and our officials with respect.” Similarly, Schuba aims for the players to carry more off the court than wins or losses. He wants the best for the team in order to get them where they want and need to be in the future. “I think most importantly I want to create great young men coming out of our program that are hard working, dedicated, able to deal with adversity, good teammates, and good people,” Schuba said. “Just people that others enjoy being around and what helps you be the person you are.” //
WHERE
FRESH & FAST MEET
™
TRAVERSE CITY 1217 E. FRONT ST. 231.929.2999 TRAVERSE CITY 1294 W. SOUTH AIRPORT RD. 231.935.9355
A Timeline of the History of TCC’s Boy’s Basketball Head Coaches
Terry Ebright J. Anderson
Joe Lemieux
Jon Constant
Jon Constant
Tim Stark Travis Schuba
1967 1968-1970 1971 1972-1973 1974-1978 1979-1986 1987-1989 1990-1992 1993-2007 2008 2009 2010-2017 2017-
Wayne Hintz Jim Raymond
David Malmstrom
Jerry Schreiner
Ron Bohn
Jeff Turner
Interview with Jordan Vicent Q:What expectations do you have for a coach? A: Someone that is constantly on their players, and criticizing. I wouldn’t say criticizing but critiquing and making them the best that they can be. He’s like a friend but he’s like the one that just keeps pushing you to do better.
Q: Expectations for yourself? A: I have some high expectations, like I want to be working hard all of the time and be successful on court. Q: Who got you involved? A:Well, my dad was always playing basketball, and why he would stuff, and he would take me to some of his games. And I started in like third grade, and I loved it. So I kept playing. Q: Is there anything that like you want to learn or improve from last year? A:I want to attack more, be more aggressive and get to the paint have a lot more.
mean? is that a basketball term? A: Get to the paint, it’s like getting to the basket, like driving finishing layups and pull up jumpers inside.
Q:What was your first impression of your coach? A: My very first impression was ‘wow this guy is very young,’ he just reminded me of a college player. You know he’s strong, big and you want to go to college and play basketball there and he was there. He’s a great shooter so I can really learn from him. Q: What do you feel he’ll bring to the team? A: He’s gonna increase our pace up and down the floor, he’s gonna be on us a little more, and he’s gonna keep pushing us. Even if we’re out 15 he’s gonna want us to increase that rate.
Q:Get to the paint what does that
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