Issue 5, the Black & Gold, Volume 93

Students

the

For student profiles documenting a young model, athletes overcoming adversity, a triathlete, a student with a classic vinyl collection, a cheer leading champion, a football player with a promising future and more, turn to pages 4 and 5

&

February 27, 2014

Volume 93

Issue 5 Teachers

Black Gold

“More than...”

Edition

Photo: courtesy of Kristi Brunink

For staff profiles chronicling a trip to Kenya, a Marine’s career, a Bigfoot aficionado, an Ironman and more, turn to pages 2 and 3

2013 MIPA Spartan Award Winner

Traverse City Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive, Traverse City, Michigan 49686

Graphic: S. Kearney

TCAPS to makeup snowdays?

Exploring Leelanau’s ice caves

1.

The Board of Education plans to decide in early April how to make up for Central’s nine lost days

John Minster Staff Reporter

W

the Black & Gold

continued, page 6

Maddi Miller Staff Reporter

Day before - Superintendent Steve Cousins may call school off the day before, if it is obvious that inclement weather is going to prevent school. Members of the TCAPS transportation system, including director of transportation Christine Thomas, along with Cousins and Associate Superintendent of Finance and Operations Paul Soma, carefully watch the radar and the roads. They also consult with the Grand Traverse County Road Commission.

3 a.m - If the “Wake up callers” believe there may be reason to cancel school, they call the “road checkers,” who are a group of five members of the transportation system plus Soma, whom is the sixth “Road Checker.” They split up into five routes: the North East, the North West, the South East, the South West and the Peninsula.

Photo: S. Kearney

4:30 a.m to 6:00 a.m Cousins tries to have a cancellation decision by this time. He can overrule the “Road Checkers,” though he has not yet done so. After Cousins makes the final call, Transportation Director Thomas notifies the media and updates TCAPS’ website. The window for school cancellation closes at this time.

News Editor

David Reinke

Production Editor

At the end of the night, students were commended by droves of relatives, peers and community members for their hard work and artistic expression

Julia Vannatter Staff Reporter

During the weeks before ArtPrize Central, Art Club Co-Presidents Clare Sorace and Ashley Smith, both ‘14, Art Club and the AP Studio students all had their hands full reviewing artwork, hand making frames for the pieces and deciding how and where to display the varied genres of art. The reception took place last Thursday here in the library and the hallway outside of the library. The students’ work will be displayed for a month.

The artwork submitted to AP Studio Art teacher Amy Harper featured a wide range of media.

“I had received high-quality pieces, which is great,” Harper said. “It’s neat because I have kids from all different areas that are participating in all different abilities and ages.”

Sorace was also satisfied with the variety of pieces

A&E Editor

Fiona Muha

Sports Editor Erin Lipp

Photo: M. Caldwell

(Top) Hunter Bartlett ‘16 enjoys working on an odd surface. “The longboard is something I’ve had laying around for a while and I wanted to use something different than the typical white piece of paper or canvas.

I enjoy doing art on odd things.” (Right) Kate Trubac ‘15 works on a pottery wheel during art-off. “It was really nice to see others enjoy it,” Trubac said. “I got at least one bid on each of my pieces.”

submitted.

“I was pretty impressed,” Sorace said. “There was a lot more of a media range than there was last year. There was a lot of photography, as compared to just paintings and drawings.”

Photo Editors Meg Caldwell Scott Hardin

Graphics Editor

Focus Page Editor

Alex Korson

Leek Editors

Mady Basch Jeff Comerford Connor Hansen Margo Hoagg Dylan Huey Bri Johnson

Allison Taphouse

Emma Caldwell

Scott Hardin Jake Myers

Feature Editor

Business Manager

Lia Williams

Photo: S. Kearney

1. Photography teacher Jamie Sandy took her Advanced Photography classes to the Leelanau Ice Caves on Feb. 19. “It is another aspect of photography for students to explore,” Sandy said. “We have seen a product display photographer and a portrait photographer this trimester, so why not go and check out landscape photography?” 2. Chris Brower ‘15 and Kiley Kowal ‘14 stand atop a mound of ice and snow, preparing their cameras to shoot in the bright sunlight. “It was cool because the shelf of ice was like forty feet tall,” Brower said. “You could get some really cool photos of the crystal clear ice.” 3. Madalyn Weatherholt and Hailey Hushak, both ‘14, peer out of an ice cave up in Leelanau County.

“We went as a trip for Advanced Photography,” Weatherholt said. “I took over a hundred pictures while I was there. Everything was super interesting. I just wanted to capture everything.”

Staff and students show off at ArtPrize Central

4:15 a.m - The “Road Checkers” meet at the bus garage by this time to discuss their findings and also to consult with the surrounding school districts.

The “Road Checkers” and Soma then decide whether or not school should be canceled. Next, they apprise Cousins of their recommendation. Cold weather is not generally a cancellation factor with the mechanical operations of the buses, because they are programmed to idle 30 minutes before drivers arrive.

Ivy Baillie David Reinke

Opinion Editor

3.

2.

2 a.m - Three members from the TCAPS transportation system referred to as “Wake up callers,” whom are designated on a rotating basis, check to see if it appears that there should be any question regarding whether there should be school.

Editors-in-Chief

Ivy Baillie

Photo: M. Caldwell

Graphic: A. Korson

ith the excessive number of snow days TCAPS has been hit with, nine to be exact, school might be in session a little bit longer this year. If TCAPS has two more snow days, the School Board faces two likely scenarios: the school year may be extended, or 10 to 30 minutes may be tacked on the end of each school day.

They may get a directive from the state, as there is legislation pending now that would require school districts to schedule makeup time in 30-minute increments if additional instructional time is required. However, Michigan’s Board of Education recommends that schools add full days of instruction.

So presently what will or won’t happen regarding the make up for lost instructional time is in flux depending what the state decides, how much additional time is lost and how much latitude our local School Board may have. TCAPS will decide April 1.

“Personally, I am a big proponent of adding days missed during the year because I believe that every instructional day has value for every student,” Kelly Hall, President of the Board of Education said.

“An effective teacher can do great things for a student no matter what time of the year it is.”

If added instructional time is necessary, fellow Board member Scott Hardy agrees with Hall.

“Adding days on to the end of the school year gives teachers a better chance to organize whatever lessons or activities they want to do,” Hardy said, “and it gives students a sense that there’s a new day starting and they need to pay attention for the eight hours they’re there for the day.”

Presently, Hardy also believes adding days is the most likely solution.

“Most of the people I’ve talked to, and I’ve talked to a lot, have been in support of extending the year a little bit,” he said. “I know it’s an inconvenience for people who planned vacations or something like that when school lets out, but at some point, I need to start prioritizing what’s most important.”

While adding days is the option some board members are leaning towards should it become necessary, it presents logistical problems for students, staff and the community at large.

“Our community has a lot of tourist commerce and local businesses that depend on teenage students for their staff during the tourist season, especially in the summer,” Hall said. “I can empathize with that, being a business owner myself, but in my opinion,

Snowday decision timeline

Zach Egbert

Staff Reporters

Photo: M. Caldwell

Throughout the evening of the reception, four judges observed the art. Judges were parents of students who entered ArtPrize, but they judged in categories different from what their children had submitted.

Shaine Kearney Hunter Kelly Grayson Lowe George Madison Maddi Miller John Minster Sean Monnier Anders Olson Carl Rasmussen Josie Robbins Hayley Rozema Joel Six Aaron Smits Julia Vannatter

Each was assigned a category, either painting, photography, drawing or 3D. They then picked one piece that they thought was best in the category. Alex Korson ‘14 won painting, Spencer Schulte

continued, page 6

Some Corrections

- On page 1, the story “New athletic director” was incorrectly attributed to Margo Hoagg & Dylan Huey. Aaron Smits wrote it - Due to a technical error, some of the copy in “The Black & Golden Globes” story was cut short

Send us an email at theblackandgold.opinion@ gmail.com or drop off a letter to the editor

2 Teachers

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

“As soon as you get fearful in front of the camera, and you see that light, it is exponentially increased. I would just freeze.”

-Brenda Meindertsma, English teacher

Maddi Miller Staff Reporter

After racing 140.6 miles by water, bike and foot, he eyes the digital clock overhead the finish line. Putting every ounce of energy into one last stride, he crosses the finish line. The clock reads 12 hours and 12 minutes.

A voice booms over the thunderous cheering: “Ben Berger, you are an Ironman.”

“I love completing something other people think is impossible,” Berger said.

“I still get chills right now thinking of crossing the finish line of my Ironman.

They put the medal on you as soon as you finish. There’s people cheering everywhere, and the vibes of endurance races are just great.”

Berger, who teaches history, started endurance sports in college as a way to challenge himself and to compete. He ran his first marathon (26.2 miles) as a college sophomore and completed his first triathlon his senior year.

“There’s always room to improve,” Berger said.

“You’re really competing against yourself. Following a workout plan in college goes against the grain of what your friends are doing. I’d be running when people were playing video games, and I’d work out early when people were sleeping in.”

Berger’s first triathlon was the Inter’Rockin triathlon, an Olympic distance, in Interlochen, which he completed with his brother.

It consisted of a 1,500 meter swim, a 24K bike and a 10K run. Triathlons include four main distances: Sprint, Olympic, half Ironman and Ironman—simplified, each distance doubles the one before it.

“I was so nervous for the swim,” Berger said. “It was nerve-wracking and I was almost hyperventilating.”

After completing his Ironman, none of the swims in the shorter, smaller triath-

lons compare to the swim in his Ironman, where there were nearly 3,000 people starting at once.

“They call it the washing machine,” Berger said. “There’s elbows in everyones faces, goggles get ripped down and it’s just really intense. There’s people stopped, holding on to all the buoys, some throwing up because they swallowed too much salt water. There’s people screaming and crying, saying they want to quit and it’s just fifteen minutes into the race. Everyone is just screaming.”

Berger wanted to sign up for all the triathlons in the area after his first race, and did four or five local triathlons that summer. He completed an Ironman, November 2012, in Panama,

Fiona Muha A&E Editor

Photo: courtesy of Ben Berger

Berger’s greatest memories stem from training, rather than his races. Through the entire 12 hours and 12 minutes of his Ironman, Berger was remembering all the hard work and sacrifice that went into this one race.

“There’s elbows in everyones faces, goggles get ripped down. There’s people stopped, some throwing up because they swallowed too much salt water. Everyone is just screaming.”

-Ben Berger, History teacher Florida. He also has two half Ironmans under his belt.

“When I’m competing, I try to shorten everything,” Berger said. “In the swim, I’ll tell myself ‘I just need to get to the next buoy, and then the next buoy.’ During the bike, which is my hardest leg of the triathlon, I let my mind wander. Finally during the run, I focus on my tempo and my timing. The run is my strongest leg.”

Berger feels the hardest aspect is mental endurance.

“You can equate competing in the Ironman to a book of matches,” Berger said.

“You can only burn so many matches before you run out.

It’s a lot of strategy about when to use that energy and when to hold back. You’re just sort of slowly watching your body break down.”

“The training and the constant dedication is the best part,” Berger said. “It changes your life in so many different ways. I’m up way earlier and I’m much more productive in the morning than I would be. It’s all absolutely worth the sacrifice.

It’s created a healthy lifestyle that’s also allowed me to create a balance in my life.”

Berger is training for another Ironman in 2015. He follows a 30 week training plan and five out of the six days he does two workouts.

He gets up at 4:30 four days a week to workout before school, either running or swimming at the Civic Center. Then, he completes another workout after school.

“I get grumpy when I don’t train,” Berger said.

“It’s a big balance. You don’t

want it to take over your life.

Physically, almost anyone can do it if you set aside the time and effort, but it’s mentally tough. You’re out there by yourself a lot of times, and you have to motivate yourself, so it’s really strengthened me mentally for when I face challenges in other aspects of my life.”

Training as much as Berger does, it is inevitable that he suffers wipeouts. He has crashed three or four times, but only two were really bad.

One occurred when he was going downhill at 38 MPH, and he got a flat tire, throwing him over his handlebars.

The other happened when he was picking at the grip tape on his handlebars, so he crashed into the guardrail and cut his leg.

“Someone told me when I first got into triathlons, ‘there’s two kinds of cyclists, those who have crashed and those who will,’” Berger said.

Berger has his heart set on qualifying for the Boston Marathon, and ultimately making it to the Kona Ironman in Hawaii.

“I’m fifteen minutes away from qualifying for Boston,” Berger said. “And there’s no way I’d be fast enough to qualify for Kona, but if you complete 12 Ironmans, which is called legacy, you can get in. If I do one every other year for ‘x’ amount of years, when I’m in my forties, I’ll be able to compete in Kona.”

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

Eric Schugars

Sean Monnier Staff Reporter

With his sunscreen, gold pants and employee name tag, Social Studies teacher Eric Schugars prepares for another day working at Disney World. As a senior in college, Schugars took his final semester off to

spend four months interning at Orlando’s Disney World.

“They have a Walt Disney World college internship and they came to my college and interviewed me,” Schugars said. “A couple of my friends had done it so it was just one of those things I wanted to try.”

When Schugars wasn’t at Disney University attending classes on how to treat guests, he was spending time in the the Magic Kingdom park.

“I worked with the parade routes and would tell people where they could sit, and entertained them until the parade,” Schugars said. “I also

Brenda Meindertsma

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

Ben Berger

was a Master of Ceremonies for the Lion King show. I would get on the microphone and introduce the show.”

Schugars was studying broadcasting at Western Michigan University at the time of his internship, so public speaking came naturally to him. Additionally, his role at Disney alerted Schugars to the company’s emphasis on service.

“I was always amazed how the whole thing ran and how professional it was,” he said.

“I was also surprised how they taught everyone to think that the guests are always the most

Photo: courtesy of Eric Schugars

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

“It was a real shock seeing characters with their heads in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It kind of took away from the whole thing.”

-Eric Schugars, Social Studies teacher

The crowd of peers behind the video camera stands ready to critique. After a late night of rehearsing lines, English teacher Brenda Meindertsma wipes the sleep from Photo: courtesy of Brenda Meindertsma her eyes, swallows the lump in her throat and smiles.

“Whenever I see a news professional I’m in awe,” she said. “I know they have scripts, but still, they remember so much.”

During college, Meindertsma’s career goal was to become a news anchor. The instructors would give the students contemporary stories, such as weather, a local story and a national story.

“I loved the news portion of it,” Meindertsma said. “We’d have to do all the legwork, get all the background information, write the news article, then come to class ready to go in front of the camera.”

In addition to being realistic, the program mirrored the spontaneity of broadcast journalism.

“They would throw us curveballs,” she said. “We’d have the story all written, and then at the last minute they’d come in and say, maybe a half hour from your time, that there had just been breaking news. So you’d have to quickly write that story then have it ready to go.”

While the excitement of newscasting was appealing, the program’s brisk pace soon placed students in front of the camera and writing live feeds—forcing Meindertsma out of her comfort zone.

“It was watching the other people in the program,” Meindertsma said.

“These girls were so good—polished and poised. Seeing how professional they were and how prepared they were to give the cast, I felt like I couldn’t deliver it in as natural a way as my classmates could, so that made me hesitant. I would just freeze.”

As soon as Meindertsma experienced a sliver of doubt when broadcasting, her entire performance was affected.

“As soon as you get fearful in front of the camera, and you see that light,” she said, “it is exponentially increased.”

Meindertsma soon questioned her ability to deal with stress of that scale.

“The deadlines were really fast,” she said, “trying to prepare us for the world of public broadcasting. It was extremely competitive and I was just a bag of nerves. I was much better at the writing portion.”

The Communications/Public Broadcasting program at Michigan State University became Meindertsma’s segue into general writing.

“I wrote a couple of freelance pieces for the State News at Michigan State University in the guest author section, under any topic of interest to kids,” Meindertsma said.

Journalistic tracking at MSU benefitted Meindertsma in two ways: she was able to grow as a writer and she learned valuable skills about orating, although she again disliked the stress of the program.

“Public speaking is a big part of that program,” Meindertsma said, “so I have felt very comfortable speaking in front of groups throughout my entire teaching career. I don’t have any apprehension because of different techniques they taught us. Also, I have my kids do journalismtype writing at least once a trimester because I think it’s a skill that they can develop and I want to expose them to that arena in my classes. ” Once Meindertsma decided not to follow through with broadcast journalism, her guidance counselor convinced her to take a few basic teaching courses which she “fell in love with.”

“The idea of teaching high school never occurred to me,” Meindertsma said. “The students are more serious about learning. It’s all about independence. The kids are learning to take responsibility, but it’s a perfect fit.”

important and come first.”

During his free time, Schugars had free rein of the parks and their entertainment.

“When you aren’t working, you get to buzz over to all the other parks for free,” Schugars said. “It’s just like a giant playground.”

Schugars experienced many different cultures by interacting with his fellow interns.

“You live in an apartment complex with people from all over the world and you get to meet so many interesting people,” Schugars said. “I would call it a working vacation.”

Although Schugars was impressed by the logistical behind-the-scenes work, it ruined his childhood percep-

tions of Disney World.

“There were a bunch of underground tunnels for the characters to randomly pop up at and make the ‘magic happen,’” Schugars said. “It was a real shock seeing characters with their heads in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It kind of took away from the whole thing.”

Although Schugars was initially apprehensive about his internship, he was eventually pleased with his decision.

“It was a great experience and I wouldn’t change anything,” Schugars said. “Even now when I tell the story, I encourage kids to do it. It gives you a variety of expertise and skills.”

Teachers

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

Sherry Stoltz Photo: S. Hardin

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

Joel Dorgan

Joel Six

Aaron Smits

Staff Reporter Young English teacher Sherry Stoltz is transfixed, holding her breath, hanging onto each word of her grandmother’s stories. The subject tonight: war.

“My grandmother told me a story of running through the field while the war was going on, and holding her younger sister in her arms because shrapnel hit and killed her,” Stoltz said. This story weighed especially heavy on her heart.

All of Stoltz’s grandparents were born in Czechoslovakia.

They immigrated to America once their daughter, Stoltz’s mother, was four years old.

So Stoltz experienced many

Pat Bowen Zach Egbert

Business Manager The week leading up to the Ms. Grand Traverse competition in 2004, Administrative Assistant Pat Bowen went from starving herself, to carbo loading with a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly and a spoon, all within three days. Bowen put her willpower and strength to the test with a two year workout regimen to prepare for her first ever bodybuilding competition at 48 years old.

Her life became consumed by strenuous workouts and a lack of food, so one day when she was trying to buy a quick snack, things got dicey. Bowen’s favorite on her Sunday cheat day was a warm cinnamon roll with peanut butter and, after a long week without sugar, it was more than just comfort food.

“I was so angry about the lady in front of me in line

Photo: courtesy of Pat Bowen

Photo: S. Hardin

Kristi Brunink

Emma Caldwell While in her 20’s, Psychology teacher Kristi Brunink stepped off her plane into the Kenyan airport, she inhaled the earthy, rural air with relief. She’d been traveling for more than 24 hours, alone with one piece of luggage holding all of her worldly possessions.

“I was just relieved to finally get off the plane,” Brunink said, “and then thought ‘oh my goodness, all my belongings are in my backpack and I don’t know how I’m getting out of the airport.’”

Brunink was on her way to study abroad in Kenya with Calvin College. She’d already gone to Greece and Tanzania with friends, but this time she was braving it alone to submerge herself in more exotic culture.

“I’d been wanting to go and anticipating it for so long,” Bruinink said. “I’d worked so hard to meet financial expectations and get registered for the classes and do all this communication. I felt a sense of calm.”

But it wasn’t always smooth sailing; the culture shock was massive. The developing country lacked the infrastructure that’s commonplace in the United States.

“You’re thankful for crossing the street when there’s a light that tells you to go,” Brunink said. “There was a road where it was like playing Frogger with yourself. The traffic is really crazy and unregulated. I learned about little systems that we take for granted.”

After her African travels, Brunink real-

ized the importance of understanding and appreciating one’s culture as it shapes individuals. Brunink encourages students to seize the opportunity to travel, sooner rather than later. This way they’ll obtain this awareness before they’re locked into a profession or other big life decisions.

“Instead of being told what to think,” she said, “you’re able to think about how you think, which is a skill that comes from learning about other cultures.”

Brunink’s travels helped her realize that teaching was her passion. After conversing with her sister about Americans’ lack of awareness of Rwanda and Sub-Saharan Africa, her sister was inspired to research the topic.

“The sense of satisfaction I got from generating that curiosity is what really brought me to being a teacher,” she said.

“I want to create a context where students can want to know more even if it’s answers I don’t have for them. If I can get students curious to a level that exceeds my experience with a topic, I’d say that’s a good day at work.”

Brunink can’t wait to return to Kenya.

“I think about it at least once a day. It would make me really sad to say I’d never go back. It just wouldn’t feel right.”

dox Church is celebrated a week behind when everyone else does. I always felt outcasted because I was different from everyone.”

Eventually Stoltz became more curious about her ancestry and embraced it.

“My grandmother didn’t speak very much English, and I didn’t speak very much Czechoslovakian, so we connected through food,”

Stoltz said. “They made all the traditional perogies, and dumplings, and duck. I still do prefer the Czechoslovakian food over American cuisine.”

As Stoltz grew up, she yearned to visit the land of her heritage.

“My mother’s side is from Slovakia, so I desperately want to go back there some day. It’s just where my ancestry is, and I need to experience it.”

a hundred of these with light weight. So it wasn’t like a lot of weight, but working the muscles in the right way.”

Bowen would isolate one large group of muscles, then throw in a half hour of cardio, her daily abs and stretching and she was ready to start the day. A few months prior to the competition, her trainer prepared the group for judging.

For Bowen, picking up the special apparell online and frying her body on the tanning bed were the easy parts, but the 90 second show routine worried her.

“You mostly just have to concentrate on what of your body parts look best and you have to highlight that,” Bowen said. She thought her legs and triceps were her two best features “It’s not so much a dance routine, as it just showing the muscles to music and that’s not me.

That was hard for me.”

Bowen placed mirrors in her basement so she could practice her routine daily to get used to it. Business teacher Pat Rutt, who was also a fitness instructor at the time, helped with Bowen’s routine, and so did Gym teacher Polly Walker, who even had Bowen perform for her gym classes.

Bowen also spoke in gym classes on nutrition and the hazards of steroids.

Bowen finished with two second place trophies in competition, one in the master’s category (over 45) and the other in the tall group.

“It’s so hard and it consumes your whole life,” Bowen said. “But I’m glad I did it, and it was just something I was just happy I was able to do.”

Kim Fleming

Staff Reporter

Photo: courtesy of Kristi Brunink

Baby Sherry Stoltz with her Czechoslovakian grandparents.

taking so long I just lost it and I was just like, get out of my way,” Bowen said. “I just need this! Your diet is pretty strict, I ate tuna because I had to and the only way I could choke it down was with splenda on it.”

Bodybuilders build mass but they also have to cut fat so that their muscles are defined. The nutrition plan is strict. Bowen would have egg whites and oatmeal for breakfast, tuna, a plain baked potato and steamed broccoli during lunch, and always turkey or chicken for dinner. For a year and a half Bowen stayed on this tight regimen until the last six months when she was no longer allowed a cheat day. From then on it was nothing but simple carbs, protein and a lot of water.

Bowen said the diet was more taxing than the workouts.

“The food was the hardest part because it seems every social situation has food involved,” Bowen said. “For any social gathering I always packed my food, including when I took a weekend trip to Las Vegas with one of my workout partners.”

For workouts Bowen hit the gym at five a.m. for about two hours and then reported to school by 7:30 to assume her position as Central secretary. Her biggest motivator was always her friends, who pushed her through each workout.

Bowen was inspired to bodybuild when her friend Lavern, a 60 year old bodybuilder, took Bowen and four friends on a journey of absolute discipline for the next two years. Bowen was previously a spinning instructor and avid fitness enthusiast.

“The competition between all of us was a really good thing,” Bowen said.

“We tried to do as much as we could some days but near the end, it was like do

Jeff Comerford

Opinion Editor

Photo: courtesy of Sherry Stoltz

Photo: S. Hardin

The year is 1983. Two truck bombs are detonated by an Islamic extremist group in Beirut, Lebanon, outside U.S. barracks on a military base, killing 241 Photo: courtesy of Joel Dorgan American servicemen.

President Reagan orders immediate retaliation to the attacks. The Navy dispatches the New Jersey, a restored WWII dreadnought.

The pilot of the sole helicopter on the ship is none other than mild-mannered Math teacher and former Navy serviceman Joel Dorgan.

“It was an amazing first assignment,” Dorgan said. “It felt like being part of history.”

Dorgan was responsible for identifying all the ships passing through to make sure the terrorists weren’t conducting operations.

America’s military might was supreme, and often used. Thusly, the tone on the ship was ambitious, aggressive and patriotic. Dorgan joined in the revelry.

“The attitude back then, when Reagan was president, was ‘we gotta do something, we gotta do something,’” Dorgan said.

Since the New Jersey was not suited to fire with a helicopter on deck, it needed to be moved to a different location. Another pilot took the chopper while Dorgan stayed behind when the firing began. As he was not assigned to any further duties, he could just watch the other seamen prosecute the mission.

“I basically got to be a tourist on this battleship,” Dorgan said.

“The whole ship would get knocked when they fired. The fluorescent bulbs above our heads would fall out and break sometimes. It just shook like crazy.”

Throughout the battle, Dorgan watched the mighty machinations of the ship and her crew.

Over the course of the operation, the New Jersey fired 288 rounds of 2,900 pound shells at terrorists attacking the Beirut airport. Because of the dated technology of the old battleship, the shells may or may not have hit the target.

Though some questioned the ethics of the inaccuracy, Dorgan sided with the majority.

“There were some guys who had some very introspective thoughts about the whole thing and questioned whether it was right to start shooting so many rounds at a target like that,” Dorgan said. “To me, it felt like we were doing a job. People higher up were the ones making the decisions.”

Upon the end of his Navy service, Dorgan became a flight instructor. In contrast to the classroom where he teaches now, the helicopter instruction took place wholly in the cockpit, where the pressure is always on.

“That’s the best kind of teaching because it ‘s all hands on,” Dorgan said. “I got to teach the best of the best, they were easy to teach.” After his tenure in the skies, Dorgan returned to civilian life. Combined with his degree in physics-heavy oceanography, his Navy and instruction experience gave him a solid technical background to begin teaching mathematics at Central.

“I always saw a lot in the paper about improving education, which sort of inspired me,” Dorgan said. “It’s kind of funny how that’s something you still see all the time.”

Dorgan, like many of his fellow serviceman, has an internalized sense of duty. To him, this came in the form of educating the county’s youth. However, nothing can compare to his experiences on the New Jersey.

“It was one of the highlights of my life, being in my late twenties,” Dorgan said. “I got all the good deals. I got a few ribbons and a medal just for being a part of it. More than anything, It was my first assignment which was just incredible.”

Photo: courtesy of Timeless Image

Staff Reporter

Czechoslovakian traditions.

“They had this one tradition where women had to find a rich man to take care of them.

Growing up, my schooling was not important to my parents.”

Despite that Stoltz’s parents were not vested in her education, that didn’t stop her from being the best she could be.

“School was always important to me,” Stoltz said. “My mother didn’t graduate, but I wanted to make sure I did.”

Even though Stoltz was born in America, her Czechoslovakian heritage played a part in her school life. Growing up with so many Eastern European ethnic influences sometimes made her feel isolated from the other children, such as her grandparents’ lack of English proficiency, different foods and different religious observances.

“What was always different for me, was that I went to a Russian Orthodox Church.

Easter for the Russian Ortho-

3

Walking in the woods at 10:30 on a summer night, Biology teacher Kim Fleming notices large shapes out of her peripheral vision that resemble hairy, brown creatures.

From the shadowy trees, eyeglow was visible. The strangest part—nobody lived in this area, nor did anybody know about the expedition she was on.

“We walked the treeline and had rocks thrown at us,” Fleming said. “You wonder if it was just your imagination. The thought of some huge, gigantic organism just on the other side of the treeline shook me up pretty good.”

For several years, Fleming has been fascinated with the idea of proving the existence of the legendary Bigfoot. Previously, she worked on a project that proved cougars resided in Michigan.

“I have always been up to a challenge,” Fleming said, “and I like to know truth.” Fleming’s scientific sense of inquiry led her to question Bigfoot lore.

“When you think about how scientists work, there’s a question or observation and you try and explain that observation,” Fleming said. “We have this huge footprint that’s consistent throughout the United States and the world.

One of the things I had the most

difficulty trying to explain was ‘where are the footprints coming from?’”

For almost five years, Fleming has searched for Bigfoot.

Her first expedition was through Michigan Magazine in 2009.

Since then, she has ventured on two more expeditions through the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, or B.F.R.O. Fleming joins fellow enthusiasts annually in order to hunt the fabled creature. A typical expedition for Fleming is three days long, spanning the weekend.

“We meet up on Thursday by five o’clock in the evening,” she said, “and are camped out together in a certain area. We may walk for hours or sit on the edge of the river. We typically head there at eight p.m. and depending on how much activity there is, we get back somewhere between one and two a.m.”

These expeditions require a bevy of tools and some serious gear..

“A lot of researchers carry a recorder with them that’s constantly going,” Fleming said. “We use infrared, night-vision and cameras that use heat, and sound recording equipment. There’s also another kind of infrared equipment we use that goes on top of a car. It picks up any type of movement in the woods. We also use vocalizations of Bigfoot sounds.”

Fleming and her fellow researchers vary their routine based on the specifics they are searching for.

“If you’re going out to have an interaction, you would go out at night,” Fleming said. “If you

Photo: courtesy of Kim Fleming

are looking for prints or places they might frequent, like trails or wood structures that they’ve built, you’re going to do that during the daytime because you need to be able to see.”

Being an avid searcher, Fleming does come across skeptics who, think she is “nuts.”

“You’re not going to convince people and I don’t care,” Fleming said. “That’s not my job.”

Despite widespread doubt of Bigfoot’s existence, Fleming said she is committed to finding the truth.

“As long as I can tolerate the wind and the rain and the mosquitoes,” Fleming said, “and unless something else pulls me in a different direction, I don’t see myself losing interest. I’m one of those types of people who likes to finish a job.”

4 Students

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

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ist

“It felt like I had something that set me apart from other kids. Not many eight year olds want to be a football kicker. It felt good to have a skill that most kids didn’t have.” -Jake Gorter ‘14 “We are very punctual here. It’s more laid back in Kenya. People walk slowly. If they see a friend, they’ll stop and talk to them for five minutes, instead of saying ‘hi’ and keep going.” -Zoe Gerstle ‘15

Abigail Stanton ‘15

When most of us enjoy a little down time after school, Seth Beaudry ‘17 is swimming endless laps at the pool, running despite the conditions, and training on a spin bike. His training will increase this spring but currently, he spends eight hours a week working to reach his goal to complete his first triathlon this summer.

“Triathlons seemed intriguing,” Beaudry said. “I’m looking forward to competing against other people, since it’s my first race, I don’t know what I’m up against.”

Photo: M. Caldwell

Beaudry was inspired to become a triathlete after watching his friend and personal trainer, Brian Hammer complete one. Hammer has traveled the country competing in over 30 triathlons, and almost always finishes in the top three.

“He got me into triathlons,” Beaudry said. “I watched him do one last summer and going to that was a really cool experience. The event and triathlon looked fun, so I decided to start training for one this year. He inspired me.”

The triathlon is next August, so Beaudry has a ways to go as far as his training goes. Beaudry meets with Hammer on a regular basis to discuss preparing for the triathlon through increasingly harder training routines.

Beaudry received a five-week plan to kick off his training. Beaudry swims at the Civic Center during open swim

Photo: S. Hardin

Focus Page Editor

As Abigail Stanton ‘15 sits on a lawn chair, the breeze running through her hair, she isn’t just lounging around, she’s on the job. Sweating is the least of her problems on this blistering hot day. She has to blot away her sweat to front her best, most relaxed, chilled face because, as a model, it’s 1-2-3 all eyes on her. For the last four years, Stanton has been modeling.

“Ever since I was in theater, I’ve always loved being the center of attention, as vain as that sounds,” Stanton said. “I thought that modeling would be the same as acting in front of an audience, but it’s more intimate in a shoot.”

Stanton is both a runway model as well as an still shoot model. She prefers the one-on-one with a photographer, over the crowd of a runway show, anyday.

“I like Editorials [stills] better because I feel like I’m really awkward in person,” Stanton said. “Also, my runway walk isn’t the best.”

Stanton has been featured locally in Bay Life, and Traverse Magazine—and in ads for Diversions, Exchange, Dune Berry, and The Sunglass Shoppe.

Stanton is a freelance model, meaning she doesn’t belong to an agency, so she has to find herself jobs.

see some of the outtakes, they are horrible,” Stanton said. “I’m really bad about knowing my angles.” Still, she has fun on her shoots and doesn’t feel the work is that hard, which takes away most of the pressure in being in the spotlight. Being comfortable with the photographer is key.

“When you’re close with your photographer it’s like someone taking your selfies for you,” Stanton said. “It’s not as awkward as you would imagine.”

Although Stanton does not aspire to a career in modeling, she plans to keep taking jobs for as long as they come her way.

Stanton’s next shoot is in two months.

“This next job I got through a group message on Facebook,” Stanton said. “It’s for the double of Superman’s new clothing line.”

tesy of Wes ley Mayer

Staff Reporter

Allison Taphouse

“I just sit around, and somehow jobs have came to me,” Stanton said. “I never expected to have had so many job opportunities without belonging to an agency, but I guess I’ve just been really lucky.”

All Stanton’s jobs have paid extremely well, she says, like babysitting times a thousand.

“One shoot I was paid about sixty dollars, every twenty minutes I was being shot,” Stanton said.

Stanton also barters modeling for clothing or store credit. Money isn’t always the form of currency she is paid in. “Sometimes they want to get their portfolio up and I do too, so we do an exchange for eachother’s time,” Stanton said.

Even if poses feel awkward, Stanton’s not afraid to try any angle the photographer presents but she doesn’t feel that modeling comes naturally.

“You should Photo: cour

Julia Vannatter

and does his spinning and running at Central.

“Every Thursday I swim and it’s a different swim routine every week,” Beaudry said. “On weekdays I run outside. On the weekend I do a spinner bike inside and that’s a normal schedule if I’m not crowded with homework. Sundays are my off-days.”

Along with his weekly swim routines alternating, his daily runs vary.

“Sometimes I’ll do two sets of really fast miles or a long day would be about eight miles,” Beaudry said. “Every week Brian tries to add on roughly five miles. My first week was eight miles, then fifteen, twenty one, etcetera.”

Beaudry enjoys his Thursday workouts because swimming is new and exciting to him.

“I like swimming the most because I just started,” Beaudry said. “My trainer gave me lots of tips on it and good strategies, like how to go faster and how to use less energy while doing it. Swimming is an easy day for me because it’s not as hard as running or biking.”

Beaudry is looking forward to riding outside on his new road bike when the weather allows.

“My parents purchased a road bike for me,” he said. “I have been practicing with a mountain bike and I have my clip-ons, but I have yet to ride a road bike” Running is Beaudry’s strong suit, but he plans to have all three equally strong for his triathlon.

“Running is definitely my strongest suit,” Beaudry said. “Then biking, then swimming. Before the triathlon I want my swimming to be the strongest suit, because it’s the first thing in the race.

So if that is strong, it’ll help me. A lot of racers only have two good strong suits, but my trainer really wants me to have all three.”

Along with training comes a strict diet. Because it’s still early in Beaudry’s training, he has less restrictions on his diet, however, with the start of track season in March, Beaudry will have to cut out fast-food, pop and anything else his trainer bans.

But for now, he focuses on his post and pre-workout foods.

“I have protein shakes after my workouts,” Beaudry said. “On hard run days, I’ll have a peanut butter with bread or a banana.”

Beaudry says training is going well, but he is having a little trouble with balancing his time.

“The hardest thing right now is time management because I have other activities like school and church,” Beaudry said. “I definitely like it a lot though.”

Beaudry is looking forward to his triathlon.

“I am both excited and nervous,” Beaudry said. “Because I have never done a triathlon before, I don’t know what it’s going to be like, but I am definitely excited for it.”

Photo: M. Caldwell

Photo: M. Caldwell

Seth Beaudry ‘16

Photo: courtesy of Wesley Mayer

Erica Hall ‘17 Mady Basch Staff Reporter

When Erica Hall ‘17 hears words, she not only understands their meaning, but she has a built in highlighter in her head to associate language with colors. Hall has synesthesia: one sense of her body is associated and stimulated by another sense.

“It’s like a memory,” Hall said. “If you were to think of a picture you had seen you could still bring it up. I always have a supply of colors, I’m like a crayon box.”

Hall associates personality with colors. For example, she associates mean people with the color purple. Sometimes, just the sound of a person’s name creates an impression.

“When I was little I thought, ‘oh, they have a blue-green personality’ if they had a kind personality,” Hall said. “If someone has a loud personality or if you judge someone quickly, that can make the color develop a little differently.”

Though Hall can have her doubts about synthesia. “I was nervous about starting to take Spanish,” Hall said. “I thought it would be confusing because I would associate one word in

English would be a different color than the word in Spanish, but it’s not, it’s actually easier.”

Whether Hall is using her synesthesia to pair up words in Spanish class or to color-code a person, she has adapted to her condition, and views it as a unique asset to her life.

“I can get a little bit of color with taste. I think that when I get older I’ll be able to associate the taste of food with a color,” Hall said. “I’m interested to see how my colors develop. They’ve already gotten more in-depth.”

Photo: S. Hardin

Hayley Rozema Staff Reporter

Emily Decker ’16 lives, eats and breathes cheerleading.

“I started competitive cheerleading back in sixth grade,” Decker said. “When I started it was just something to get me out of the house once a week, and then I got really passionate about it. As the cheerleading got more intense, I got more intense about it.”

Besides holding a place on Central’s varsity cheer team, Decker is a three-time national champion for an elite team called Young Champions.

“I never thought I could be a national champion,” Decker said. “Being a national competitor is really hard because there’s a lot of pressure, especially when you’re going back to try and win the title for a third time. It’s such a great feeling being able to say I’m a three time national champion.”

Being on both teams gives Decker an advantage.

“It’s more conditioning and keeps me in shape for my elite team or vise versa,” Decker said. “It gives me a good background about cheerleading, and I think that’s

why I made varsity cheer as a freshman.”

When Decker is not practicing with her two teams, or traveling around the country to places such as Virginia, Tennessee and Indianapolis to compete for champion titles, she works out at home or goes to private tumbling lessons, which consist of performing leaps, jumps and rolls.

“I don’t have time to do much of anything else,” Decker said. “I can’t just hang out with my friends after school because most of the time I have a prior commitment to a cheer event. When I feel like quitting, I just think of that and remind myself of what I’m working towards. I just love it, plain and simple.”

Decker plans to pursue cheerleading in college so she can keep doing what she loves.

“Any place down in the south is where cheerleading is really big,” Decker said. “Being able to cheer on a team like that would be the greatest feeling in the world.”

Zo Photo: M. Caldwell

Photo: M. Caldwell

Emily Decker ‘16

Photo: courtesy of Emily Decker

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On tle ‘ Ken They warmly welcomed her w skills, strong British accents an City, Chogoria, Kenya, would “The locals were so friendly, tle said. “They were really surp of nine hundred black girls, bu them wanting to talk to me an Gerstle attended the boardin as a doctor. In school, Gerstle American culture.

“They have some funny mis

Rudy Kelly ‘14 Staff Reporter

They power into the straightaway, and cheers erupt from the sidelines as they near the MSU finish line. As the two girls battle for the lead, one a towering 5’8, the other a measly 4’6, the tall girl begins to slow down, while Rudy Kelly ‘14 abandons all self-doubt, fear, and pain to sprint full-tilt through the finish line—accomplishing her wildest dream.

“The MSU invite, my junior year, was my first ever high school cross country meet,” Kelly said. “Running down that straightaway to the finish line and finally just believing in myself, seeing how I was able to impact and inspire my team was an amazing feeling.”

Born with extreme scoliosis, Kelly’s hips are tilted, causing her legs to be different lengths. She has had a series of three surgeries to try to correct the problem, with the original intent to remove growth plate from her knee to slow growth. Unfortunately, there was not enough removed in the first surgery, then an error in the second surgery resulting in a bowed right leg, forced Kelly into a third surgery.

“I’ve been running cross country and track since the fourth grade, with a few years off after my surgeries,” Kelly said. “After my first surgery in sixth grade, I was determined to keep running because I loved it so much. Then after hearing I had to get more surgery, it was a big downer. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and it was scary.”

Because of all her surgeries, Kelly didn’t plan to ever run again, until Coach Lisa Taylor, track and head cross country coach, pulled her aside and asked her to be a student manager for track.

That request prompted Kelly to consider giving running another shot, so she joined track that year.

“When Coach Lisa pulled me aside at the track meet, I saw all these people that I used to run with,” Kelly said. “Although I hadn’t gotten back to running since my surgeries, it reminded me how amazing running is, how many people you get to meet, and the friendships you make.”

Kelly went to Eastern Elementary, so during recess in the spring she would sit on the playground and watch the high school run-

ners with Taylor on the track. She never imagined being there herself, so simply being a part of the team is surreal to her.

“Running makes me feel free, away from casts and wheelchairs and hospitals,” Kelly said. “It makes me feel like I can do anything. Coach Lisa has changed my life and changed my perspective of everything. She made me believe anything is possible if you have passion and dedication. She really just made me believe in myself and see that I can achieve amazing things.”

While Kelly was spending her recesses day dreaming about running on a high school cross country team, Taylor was also watching her run.

“My daughter Ellie went to Eastern Elementary with Rudy, so I would see Rudy competing when I went to my daughter’s track meets,” Taylor said. “I could tell how much effort she put into her running, and her fierceness and determination made her an amazing competitor. I could tell she had all the mental aspects that make a great athlete, so I was really hoping I would get to coach her one day.”

Kelly’s two favorite cross country meets were the Spartan Invitational, her first cross country race, and her last at the Gaylord Invite at Michaywe Pines Golf Course.

“I never imagined running again after my surgeries,” Kelly said, “or that I’d be on a high school cross country team, wearing a Trojan jersey representing Central as a student athlete. I really can’t believe what I’ve been able to accomplish.”

While Kelly encounters the common struggles of student athletes, she has conquered unique hardships. Rudy had two other surgeries as a baby to try to correct her scoliosis, one back and one hip surgery.

In her back surgery the doctor accidentally nicked her spinal cord, which limited and slowed the growth of her left side and slightly paralyzed her left hand.

“My freshman year after my surgeries, I tried cross country but it was just too much,” Kelly said.

“I couldn’t do what the other girls could and it was frustrating. Mentally I wasn’t ready, I just didn’t believe I could get to the point I needed to,

Photo: M. Caldwell

Maddi Miller

Photo: M. Caldwell

Alex Kelp ‘14 Jeff Comerford Staff Reporter

While rummaging around his basement four years ago, Alex Kelp ‘14 found some old vinyl records of his mother’s and was intrigued.

“I prefer old things over new, and when I learned they made new ones on vinyl, I was like, ‘hey, two amazing things, can’t get any better,” Kelp said.

At first, Kelp had no interest in listening to his vinyls, but he was attracted to their cover art, that was until his family got a stereo with a turntable. Kelp was motivated to collect vinyls by his love of classic rock. He still has 50 - 100 albums in boxes, unsorted.

“I probably have at least one album by any big band from 1970 to 1989,” Kelp said. “I’m almost always listening to music. I figured, why not start listening to the vintage sounding music?”

Rather than downloading songs, Kelp likes retro experience.

“Vinyl offers a unique sound,” Kelp said. “You can’t get the crackling and static-like sounds from any other format. Those sounds make me feel like I’m listening to it for the first time, as if it had

come out the day before.”

Since then, he has gotten his hands on nearly a hundred vinyl records through various ways. Some were gifts from family members, his favorite being Let It Be by the Beatles.

“It’s a classic and almost everyone likes it,” Kelp said.

Many of them he bought, either from Amazon or F.Y.E. The first album he bought was Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories.

“It was new,” he said. “I had been looking forward to it for months. I knew it would be one of my favorite albums.”

Of the numerous records Kelp has collected, he ranks three above the rest. After Random Access Memories, they are The Beatles’ Abbey Road, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Wish You Were Here.

“Random Access Memories is a favorite because it shows the advancement of Daft Punk from computerized sounds to full instrumental music,” Kelp said. “The others are classics that everyone knows. Some of the bands’ greatest works are on the albums.”

In addition to the sound and the retro appeal, Kelp is also inspired the vinyl’s cover art. he loves it so much, he’s willing to see it every day and stare at it before he sleeps.

“My walls were blank and I thought it would be cool to see all my favorite albums cover my room,” Kelp said. “Before I knew it, the albums covered all of my walls.”

His favorite album cover is Boston by Boston.

“It’s a guitar-shaped spaceship with a city on it leaving another

5

to be able to compete and be a part of the team. Looking back, I wish I’d had a little more faith.”

Although she doesn’t always realize it, Kelly has inspired so many people, especially her teammates and coach.

“Rudy is such an inspiration to the team because she always works so hard,” teammate Madison Campbell ‘16 said. “If you’re having a bad day, you have no excuse to be lazy because you look over at her and she’s working so hard. It makes you want to work hard for what you want because she has had so many obstacles and I need to never take what I have for granted.”

When Taylor pulled her aside at that first track meet, she had no idea how much Kelly was going to change the dynamics of the whole team.

“She has the mind of an elite athlete,” Taylor said. “She has everything but the physical part. She’ll never be the greatest, but she’s able to focus on improving and learning more, and to me, that makes her almost more exceptional than most of the kids I coach.”

Knowing what Kelly has been able to accomplish and how many people she has impacted by inspiring them to take risks and have courage in themselves, she wouldn’t go back and change anything.

“At this point if someone gave me the option to be completely ‘regular’ without any disabilities, I don’t think I would choose that,” Kelly said. “It always shocks me when people tell me that I’m an inspiration to them, because to me, I’m just being Rudy.”

Kelly will be participating in track this spring, but after her high school running career is over, she isn’t sure where her personal running will take her.

“My goals for track this year would be to get a PR in the 800 and 400, and maybe run the mile,” Kelly said.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever try to do a marathon or a half marathon. I never imagined doing either, but then again, I never imagined being on a cross country team. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in the future.”

For the rest of her life, Kelly plans on continuing to run 5Ks and fun runs.

“I just want to see if I can get my times faster,” Kelly said. “I want to see how far I can go, see how fast I can be. I will never stop trying to be faster or stop trying to be the absolute best I can be.”

Photo: courtesy of Joy Reist

planet.”

The next vinyl Kelp plans to find is one from System of a Down. He is not sure exactly which specific album he wants.

“Since I was eight, I have loved their music,” Kelp said.

“Their vinyls were never that popular. Since they broke up, I’d love to get some collectible band merchandise.”

Photo: courtesy of Alex Kelp

Jake Gorter ‘14 Photo: M. Caldwell

n

Students

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

Sean Monnier Staff Reporter

With the game on the line and the stands packed full of people on the edge of their seats, kicker Jake Gorter ‘14 comes up short, missing the final kick during the heated Central vs.

West Football game.

“My first thought after I missed the last kick was to take a look at the 10,000 plus people that had just watched me fail, and take it all in,” Gorter said. “I knew that was probably the last time I would play in front of that many people at Thirlby Field.”

Gorter’s responsibility is to kick the ball to the opposing team on kickoff and kick the ball through the uprights on field goals and point after touchdowns, also known as PAT’s. So when he missed all four of his field goals at the Central vs. West game, he was very disappointed, to say the least.

“After that first night of getting texts from people supporting me and some hating me, it got a lot better,” Gorter said. “My teammates and coaches helped me get through the tough loss. I try to not let the crowd get to me.”

Gorter was the starting kicker his freshman year, and because he was the youngest on the team and such an integral part of each game, he felt he had to rise to the challenge.

“Suddenly getting so much attention out of nowhere and all the pressure made me feel like I had to be perfect all the time,” Gorter said.

“However, as for the pressure, I just have to know that I’ve done my preparation and thinking too much will only hurt me. The kick is either going to be successful or unsuccessful.”

Gorter has always had an innate talent for kicking, which is no surprise given he has played football for almost a decade. He first picked up the ball as an eight year old.

“It felt like I had something that set me apart from other kids,” he said. “Not many eight year olds want to be a football kicker. It felt good to have a skill that most kids didn’t have.”

Playing for as long as Gorter has, he doesn’t think about the mental technicals of kicking.

“I’ve been doing it for so long that I know what a good kick looks and feels like,” Gorter said. “I know as soon as I kick the ball if it is a good kick or not. My body position and the way the ball feels coming off my foot tells me if it’s going through or not.”

Throughout all the years of Gorter’s kicking, there’s one memory that sticks out the most.

“My most memorable moment was when I took fifth at Nationals last summer,” he said. “There were kickers from all around the country there and it felt really good to know that I was top five. It’s just something that, as I look back, was a pretty cool experience and meant a lot to me.”

Although Gorter doesn’t know where he will be kicking in the fall, he does know that he needs to work on: his leg strength.

“To this point, I’ve relied on my accuracy to make up for my lack of leg strength,” Gorter said. “But accuracy can only get me so far.”

oe Gerstle ‘15

America eats snails,” Gerstle said. “They also assumed that since I was from the United States, I knew all the celebrity gossip—like I should know what’s going on with Beyonce just because she lives in my country.”

Gerstle discovered that the most remarkable difference between the two cultures is “African time.”

“We are very punctual here,” Gerstle said. “It’s more laid back in Kenya. People walk slowly. If they see a friend, they’ll stop and talk to them for five minutes, instead of saying ‘hi’ and keep going.”

Gerstle made friends quickly in her new school. Her best friend, Sharon, came to stay with Gerstle from Thanksgiving to Christmas, for her first time out of Kenya. Gerstle felt embarrassed about the plush lifestyle she was accustomed to, compared to the very different lifestyle that Sharon lived.

“I came back a little critical of my own society, and even more when Sharon visited,” Gerstle said. “I think it was the amount of luxury we have and the importance that we place on such unimportant things, materialistic things that are unheard of to her.”

Gerstle is grateful for her connection to Kenya, but more importantly the people there.

“I would absolutely go back there,” Gerstle said. “The people were so welcoming and relaxed, interested and great people to be around.”

Margo Hoagg

Staff Reporter

her first day of school in late July, Zoe Gers‘15 found herself surrounded by forty curious nyan teenage girls, all in matching blue uniforms. with their proficient vocabulary and grammar nd wide smiles. About half the size of Traverse be Gerstle’s home for the next two months. y, honestly, from the moment I walked in,” Gersprised to see me because I was white in a school ut they were incredibly friendly. I was warmed by nd hear my English and hear what I had to say.” ng school for a month while her father worked e was surprised to hear the girls’ impressions of

sconceptions, they think that everyone in

Photo: courtesy of Audrey Egbert

Photo: courtesy of Marjorie Rich

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Snowday makeup Continued from front page education trumps days students could be working.”

With all these variables yet unknown and undecided, the decision is complex. The Board still has to negotiate with the Michigan Education Association in order to get teachers to work additional days. Some of that time could also be made up through teacher professional development days, but it all depends on how the negotiations shake out.

“I’m hearing that it’s more

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

of a negotiation between the State of Michigan, the teachers’ union and the district,” Hardy said. “We want teachers to teach additional days in the year, even though they were paid for those snow days off.”

Hall said there are a lot of competing concerns. “This is not a simple problem. Our hands are tied somewhat by what the state legislature does and what our teacher’s union decides.”

Snow days have really affected many teachers’ schedules this year, especially the AP classes, because the spring tests won’t change even though students have lost more than a week of time.

“For any teacher it’s difficult because when you have a snow day, you’re losing an instruc-

ArtPrize Central Continued from front page ‘15 won drawing, Brianne Munch ‘14 won photography and Kate Trubac ‘15 won 3D. The winners of each category received a certificate, crown and bragging rights.

New to this year’s ArtPrize Central was an art-off. A group of students gathered at 3 p.m and began to make art in front of everyone. The participants had three hours to create a piece using whatever materials they had

tional day, so now you’re going to try to do in one day what initially you were going to do in two,” AP History teacher Joe Forlenza said. “If you end up having days off, it’s tough because we’re on a real tight schedule with the AP tests coming in May. Then you take into account that in Michigan, we don’t start school until after Labor Day, but a lot of places in the country start before that, yet we’re all taking the test on the same date, so if you’re in Michigan or a state like us, we’re already at a bit of a disadvantage in the battle as far as time goes.”

While teachers and students have lost a significant amount of instructional time this year, that time may not have to be made up at all.

or they were allowed to borrow art materials from the art room.

“It was a very different experience,” Melissa Lance ‘16 said. “It was nervewrecking because I was afraid people would see me mess up but it was a lot of fun. It was really exciting and fun, everyone was having a good time.”

Once the time was up at 6 p.m, the art-off pieces were auctioned off through a silent auction to guests at the event. The proceeds went to the art department.

“It’s just for fun,” Harper said.

“The purpose is fun and people are fascinated by watching people make art because it’s usually such a private

Last year, TCAPS had 10 snow days, yet no days were added to the end of the school year and no time was added to the end of school days. With the extra days built into the schedule, some teacher professional development days used as school days, and the five days TCAPS is allowed from the state for inclement weather days, the district wasn’t forced to make up time last year.

“It goes down to what that state counts as student instructional time, and we’ve got some extra time built into our calendar,” TCAPS Superintendent Steve Cousins said. “There’s some leeway in our calendar in regards to make up time.”

That option is still on the table, but if TCAPS has too many more snow days, that

thing.”

Aside from all of the artwork, the reception featured refreshments and baked goods provided by the students. Five students from Central’s philharmonic orchestra, Channing Bornschein, Ivan Suminski, Ellis Begley and Elena Rothney, all ‘14, and Alex Anderson ‘15 performed various songs throughout the reception as the evening’s entertainment.

“We pulled music out of the drawers to fill two hours with sound,” Bornschein ‘14 said.

Altogether, Harper was extremely satisfied with the turnout.

“I love seeing that pride in my

won’t be a possibility. “If we hit 11 inclement weather days, we won’t have any more extra time in our calendar,” Cousins said.

Every year, the Michigan State Legislature requires school districts to have a certain amount of hours in each school year. While TCAPS does build extra days into the year as well as the second trimester, it has been challenged the past couple years.

“We’ve had so many snow days, and before we just didn’t have to consider this problem,” Hall said. “We just didn’t exceed those five days that are built into the schedule before.”

While the April 1 deadline seems late, by then TCAPS can narrow down just how much lost instructional time needs to

students’ faces that they are getting to share their talent,” Harper said.

“Musical and athletic kids get a lot of chances to perform. Visual art kids don’t perform a lot, so this was our big performance.”

Harper thinks the families seeing the student’s artwork is important too.

“People are always really surprised about what kids can do and who is doing it,” Harper said. “We’ve had a lot of people that other kids weren’t expecting would be really great at art put a piece up, and people say, ‘What?!

Oh my gosh.’ I see a lot of respect from the families.”

Harper believes the best way for an

be made up.

“You wait until April 1, because at that point you’ve hit the cutoff date and now you can determine how many days you actually have to make up,” Cousins said. “After April 1 if there’s been an inclement weather day, it’s not counted the way the other snow days are counted.”

Regardless of the amount of snow days TCAPS has and what decision is ultimately made, Hall wants is what’s best for the students’ education.

“By far the thing that weighs most in my mind is what is best for students and their academic achievement,” she said.

artist to grow is to be inspired by others’ work, and ArtPrize Central is the perfect opportunity.

“Instead of academic competition, this is a whole different way to see it,” Harper said. “Art students get the accolades that everyone else has been getting. It’s neat because when you’re making art, you are communicating, so when you finally see your art on the wall and you see it affecting other people, the students realize that it means something to others too. They get their time to shine.”

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014

February Frenzy

Magazine

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Photo: M. Caldwell

Photo: S. Hardin

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Photo: A. Olson

Photo: E. Simon

Photo: A. Olson

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1) Aubrey Krueger ‘15, Nicole Vockel ‘14, Quinah Cooper ‘16,

Alyssa Middaugh ‘14 and Cierra Dean ‘16 get jiggy during the dance at the Central vs West basketball game. “Doing the jumps feels powerful because of all the momentum that’s needed,” Middaugh said. “It’s cool to know that people are enjoying it, and it’s nice to be on the court with my team.”

2) Mikhaila Shepler ‘15 makes a pass at a game against Manistee.

“Passing can make or break you,” Shepler said. “The less you pass, the more likely you are to lose, and the more you pass, the better your chances of winning are.”

3) Ethan Campbell ‘15 maneuvers past his defenders. “You just need to be quick on your feet or else it’s a lot easier for people to get around you,” Campbell said.

4) In the Nordic Skiing State Championship Kyle Dotterrer ‘14 skis his way into ninth place. “It was really surprising,” Dotterrer said. “I used my cardio base from cross country running and moved from there.”

5) Justus Korson ‘15 clashes with an opponent. “Before my match,” Korson said, “I think about what I want to do. I scout the person out and see how they wrestle and figure out how to interact with them but when I finally get out there, I don’t think.”

6) Hayley Padden ‘14 makes a swift turn during the Nordic Skiing State Championship. “I focus on my technique, because it gives me something to think about, and then I try and catch the person in front of me or keep anyone from passing me,” Padden said.

Page Layout: Anders Olson, Meg Caldwell, Scott Hardin and Ivy Baillie

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Photo: A. Olson

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8 The Leek

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold February 27, 2014 real stories, real people

The world according to them In a series of exclusive interviews, Leek intern Grayson Lowe delves into the lives of the world’s elite and powerful, and reveals the depths of their giant hearts Grayson Lowe Staff Reporter

J

Leek Special Report from Olympiad XXII

President Putin manages mutts

“It is simple, there can be no elements outside of my control. Our Russian hospitality must send message of zero tolerance”

ust as the moon rises over the hamlet of Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin saunters up the great stair of Grand Stadium of the People, or what he calls “My Temple.” Putin stares off into the audience—unblinking, unflinching.

A lone wolf ’s cry could be heard from deep in the Caucasus Mountains, a warning to its brethren canines, Putin was on the hunt. We found our Russian Commissar on the job, shirtless, spotting scope in hand. Ready.

“We have the utmost safety of our guests in mind,” Putin said. “Well, also, total world domination.”

Just as Putin settled in for our interview, a small furry body stirred out in the massive open stadium.

“One moment, friend. Wild Pomeranian, fairly dangerous—Category 3,” Putin said into his earpiece, and then, indicative of his skills as former KGB director, he snapped into action.

“Is go time, Ivan,” Putin barked.

Putin drew the weapons of his predecessors, The People’s Mighty Hammer and The Sickle of The Common Man, as twin Mi-35 attack helicopters roared onto scene and began to rain hellfire upon the open stadium. The barrage lasted mere moments, leaving clouds of smoke and dust. Within moments, three T-90 main battle tanks were on the scene as well, and the sirens had stopped.

“Everything is controlled,” Putin said.

“Come friends, we must both walk and talk,

we have reporting of savage Chihuahua pack in Olympic Village, and Third Tank Battalion on it’s way to crush uprising. You must watch for posterity.”

Putin walked swiftly through through the labyrinth of security checkpoints, each flanked by full compliments of dress guards and Spetznaz.

“We had to mobilize the adequate forces to control the dogs,” Putin said with conviction.

“It is simple, there can be no elements outside of my control. Our Russian hospitality must send message of zero tolerance.”

Reaching the outer ring of security, known affectionately as the “De-Mutt-erialized Zone” or DMZ, the president’s expression softened.

“Yes, the animal rights groups were pestering my comrades,” Putin said. “‘Cruelty this, inhumane that,’ but after we demonstrate heavy ordinance to be most humane extermination option, they will quit their whining.”

The effect of the DMZ was clear: a city once plagued by packs of roving four legged beasts was tidied up for the olympian masses.

“You will be safe in my iron bosom.”

“People say that crack is ‘bad,’ but you know what’s really bad? Terrorism. Am I doing terrorism?”

one.

“Really, it hasn’t been so much as a challenge to get sober, but an opportunity for me to show the people of our fair city my redemptive qualities in the face of my abject humility.”

After his arrest last September for the illegal use and possession of crack cocaine, Ford is now turning over a new maple leaf.

In his stint as Mayor, Ford has had more run-ins with the law, and more charges pressed, than an entire prison block, for all of which Ford has been “extremely sorry,” and has claimed that “all this crack business has been blown out of proportion.”

“People say that crack is ‘bad,’ but you know what’s really bad? Terrorism. Am I doing terrorism?” Ford asked, as Leek reporters became uncertain as to

Graphic: J. Myers

Leek/Photo Editor & Staff Reporter

Graphic: S. Hardin

Graphic: J. Myers

whether he was asking or merely reassuring himself.

During his criminal processing, Ford had to be restrained to keep from dancing, and was discovered to have over 126.7 grams of crack cocaine, 78,000 yen, and a small stuffed crocodile in his possession.

“I call him Cracky the Crocodile,” Ford said. “We do everything together, even municipal budgets.”

Elected on a platform that mainly targeted the working man, Ford pandered to his key demographic, touting even lower taxes, and increased business incentives, appealing for their consideration about his lifestyle change.

“Crack cocaine may have saved my life,” Ford said. “It’s been good for me, great cardio, and being all strung out and keeps your body in peak physical condition. It’s been good for Toronto too. How else was I supposed to reduce so many taxes and work such long hours for you guys?”

Now adhering to a life of total sobriety, Ford looks forward to each day with new eyes.

“Now I not only have th e focus, but I have the drive to take on the real threat to Torontonians. I plan to fight off the cold for good.”

Headlines from around the world Central Superfans deemed “critically endangered” Hot single Ukranian men and women in your area!

Fugitive Dr. Rick Vandermolen finally behind bars after evading obeying Michigan pledge law for months

Global Perspectives

Scott Hardin & Carl Rasmussen

Bears join Olympics

Canada’s corrupt civil servant saves face “People need to understand that smoking crack isn’t about getting ‘kinda’ high, it’s about amping up my work ethic and doing the right thing by the good people of Toronto,” Toronto Mayor Robert Ford said, as he was entertaining Leek editors on a mini-golf outing.

The Mayor then removed his shirt and beat his chest after his third consecutive hole-in-

Disclaimer: The Leek is satire and not to be taken too seriously.

In honor of Russia, the International Olympic Committee has added Bear Racing to the 2014 Games’ events.

“This is freakin’ sweet,” Turkish Bear jockey Quasi Allah said. “Bears, heck yea!”

Riders and their Bear companions must trek a 700 km course through tundra, mountains, cravasses, frozen rivers, and a high ropes course. While the Russians are expected to have an advantage with their world-famous circus bears, the field has been leveled by athletes only having had a year to bond with their respective bears.

The Icelandic team is being forced to compete with all three riders on their country’s sole bear, Ásgrímur.

“You don’t choose the bear,” Allah said, “the bear chooses you.”

While bear racing has a storied history, Western commentators have little knowledge of bear athleticism, and have turned to International Association for Bear Research and Management Co-Chair Rob Steinmetz.

“The Kodiak Bear can run at over thirty miles per hour—what a great bear fact!” Steinmetz said. “Score one for the America!”

Bulgarian skeleton

Graphic: S. Hardin

The Games experienced “the greatest winter sport upset of the last four years” on Sunday in the world’s most cherished sport—skeleton—by Bulgarian skeletoner Alaksandar Romanov, “The Rising Son of the Balkans.”

“Like every person, I have dreamed of racing skeleton since I was young,” Romanov said. “Skeleton is not only the sport of my people, but the sport of mankind.”

Romanov is expected to receive a hero’s welcome upon his return to Bulgaria, after winning his nation undeniable international prestige and undying honor.

“This sport matters,” Olympic Director Jean-Claude Killy said. “Definitely very important.”

Romanov has spent his life to training in with by taking a few steps and then lying flat repeatedly for many hours every day. It is common knowledge that skeleton racers undergo intense dietary changes, but Romanov’s trainer has implemented an unprecedented strategy.

“I am constantly accruing mass,” Romanov said.

“Bulk consumption of Mother Bulgaria’s sweetest pastries has carried me to victory in a blaze of caloric patriotism.”

Vlad’s rad pads

CONTINUING COVERAGE

Despite an increase in spending on social programs over the last 50 years, results of a recent study conducted at Harvard found that economic mobility has not changed, and the American middle class has decreased. What do you think?

“Oh mama Mia, let me go!”

“It is not what your sun can do for you, but what you can do for your sun!”

Graphic: C. Rasmussen

Photo: S. Hardin

Galileo House Arrestee

JF Kay Political Extremist “Yeah, and “dinosaurs” once roamed the Earth, sure.”

Dale Justice Rad Reverend

“The Earth revolves around me. Everyone knows this.”

Wanda Phoenix Scribe

Photos: courtesy of Reuters

TCC THuGz desecrate World Dryer, strike fear into hearts and minds of staff

The Olympics have always been an opportunity for the hosting nation to prove its worth to the rest of the world, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s humble hospitality has been no exception to the rule, and has had no spare to the expense.

Community bathrooms have been instituted with the intent of increasing teamwork and between team mates.

“In Russia, we help each other through our ‘toughest’ times, all of them,” Putin said, while attending the Sunday “teambuilding” seminar in toilette block 3B. Many athletes are confused as to why the living accommodations remain unfinished.

“We really tried to relate back to Russian history with a more ‘rustic’ vibe,” Putin said, “aesthetics is a capitalist plot!”

Putin states that the absence of floors an doors, are “designed to keep athletes on their feet at all times.”

“Russia is not a land of savagery, it is one of innovation;” Putin said, “when there is a wall standing in our way, we break it down, and we leave it broken down, forever.”