We l c o m e c l a s s o f 2 0 1 4 . . . H o w d o y o u l i k e y o u r b a b y s i t t e r s ? . . . U m , w e m e a n t e a c h e r s
[ the squall ]
Dexter High School 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter, MI 48130
Fall sports update, page 5
October 1, 2010 Volume XVII Issue 1
New start time causes traffic problems, page 2
Moran gets national Courage in Journalism award Kaitlin Gotcher
Remembering a friend, family member and teammate, page 3
STUDENT SECTON PAGE 6
Silly Bands, Page 4
Five dances we should be having... 1. Monster mash 2. Daddy-daughter 3. Jersey Shore 4. Square dance 5. Snuggie
Staff Writer
Every year, The Student Press Law Center, an organization which advocates for student First Amendment rights, gives The Courage in Student Journalism Award to an administrator who supports the same freedoms. Principal Kit Moran has been named this year’s winner, based partially on his support for The Squall while it was under anonymous blog attack last year by a group of disgruntled parents. Moran will receive his award at the national high school journalism convention in Kansas City on Nov. 13. Along with the award, Moran will be given $500 in prize money, donated by Kent State University’s Center for Scholastic Media. According to Frank LoMonte, executive director of the SPLC, the Courage in Student Journalism Award recognizes someone who has gone beyond the call of duty to stand up for the importance of a free and independent student press. “We would like to recognize administrators who can appreciate the meaning of real journalism,” LaMonte said. However, an eligible administrator isn’t found every year who recognizes the importance for students to express themselves through a free press. “Most administrators have better things to do than to help out with the newspaper,” said Alex Everard, editor-in-chief of The 2009-2010 Squall. LoMonte said Moran deserves this award because he has constantly been a champion for his school’s independent journalism program.
Budget-cutting schools often see journalism class as an annoyance, and it is often one of the first things to go with decreasing funds, LaMonte said. But LoMonte sees student journalism as a good preparation for the real world and applauds administrators such as Moran who fight to keep journalism programs in place. “Journalism trains people to collect facts, verify information and correct mistakes, which are skills everyone needs,” LoMonte said. LoMonte also said administrators at other schools often lack trust in the judgment and maturity of students, due to stereotypes of the average teenager. Many administrators, he said, have fear and misperceptions that students need to be censored to keep them from publishing “harmful” topics. These administrators often think student journalism works best when it is tightly censored. “But history has shown otherwise,” LoMonte said. Without a journalism program, LoMonte said, students who have an interest in journalism could never get a start to a long and successful career. So while many administrators do not think students should be given freedom, and they may have the urge to control everything the school is, especially the newspaper. Moran disagrees. “It’s not my job to do that,” Moran said. “It’s the students’
newspaper, not my newspaper.” He also said he does not need to review The Squall before its distribution to the community because he trusts the judgement of the students and the adviser, Rod Satterthwaite, to create an appropriate newspaper. He said he does not want to control the students and staff but to let them strive to do their best. Last year, Moran won the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s Administrator of the year award for his work with The Squall and its staff. “He is not only aware, but involved,” Everard said. “He knows students beyond the studentprincipal relationship. He is willing to fight for students as long as they fight for what they think is right.” And it’s unusual to find administrators who support student First Amendment rights according to Satterthwaite, which is why he appreciates Moran’s approach to The Squall so much. “He’s always supported what The Squall does,” Satterthwaite said. “He trusts me to be the adviser, trusts the students to do the right thing, and lets them go their own way.” And it’s this approach to working with student journalists that got Moran his award. “We think there are lots of principals like Mr. Moran out there who do value journalism,” LoMonte said, “and we hope they’ll stand up and make their voices heard.” Photo by Jackie Talley
Only three dances offered this year Emily Pap
Staff Writer
The last few years have been an almost constant battle between administrators, students and parents when it comes to dances. Principal Kit Moran said he has looked for ways to please the masses, but this has proved difficult. “We have been fighting having dances for two years,” he said, “and tried to make numerous attempts to modify student behavior at the dances.” So this year administrators have decided to host only three dances: homecoming, coming home and prom, and some students are OK with that. “In my opinion, I am fine with only three dances because it makes those dances more important. If someone really enjoys dancing, they can do it somewhere else besides the high school,” said junior Dylan Polley. According to Moran, some parents complained about the way students choose to dance. But when school adminisrators stepped in and made rules regulating behavior at the dances, students ultimately began to boycott them. “Having dances and having no one show up to them has been the main reason we decided to cut back on the number of school dances this year,” Moran said. But Moran said the dances also serve as fundraisers for all of the senior class trips. But when students stopped purchasing dance tickets, the classes made no profit, and in fact lost money, leaving no money to fund these trips or more dances for that matter. “We just have to find a happy medium somewhere,” Moran said, “It’s all a matter of whether or not the kids are willing to work with us to solve this issue.” Moran said if students are willing to accept that there will be some rules at dances, the
Illustration by Evan Oxner
staff will continue providing them. Debate teacher and student council adviser Debora Marsh, said saving dances may involve changing them. She suggested there be more activities other than dancing going on at them to get students more interested and motivated to come to them. “I’m the kind of person who believes there should be a dance every weekend, just to give kids a safe place to hang out and have fun,” Marsh said. In order to try to make school dances more appealing, Marsh also said the school hired a new DJ who has been highly recommended by other schools. “He’s young and knows what kind of music kids want to listen to,” she said. “I think that will make dances more enjoyable for students. I hope more people go to dances from now on, seeing that there will only be a select few this
year.” According to the new DJ, Saxon Majeske, of DJ Crashers, he hopes to increase dance turnout by creating a fun atmosphere for the students. “We are committed to giving the students the time of their lives,” Majeske said. “We love doing school dances, and we do a lot of things to get the students involved.” Both Moran and Marsh said, however, that it is difficult to compete with places such as Crome, a teen club in Whitmore Lake, since these clubs are less restrictive in terms of dress code and dancing rules. Moran said, “We lose money when students don’t come to the dances, and we would much rather have them come to our school functions, rather than students going off without being monitored at all on weekends. I think parents would feel the same way as well.”
Some things you should know for homecoming ...
Squall dance rules
Dos
Don’ts
Do Take pictures. You might not thinkit matters now, but you might want to look back at some memories 20 years from now.
Don’t go alone. Even if you don’t have a date, you should have a group to go with.
1. Show up in a somewhat timely manner. No one wants to be the first group to get there, but someone has to be.
Do plan something afterwards. The dance might be over but the night doesn’t have to be.
Don’t stand on the side. Get out on the dance floor and shake what your momma gave you.
2. Girls, if you want to dance with a guy, ask them. Don’t wait around. 3. Participate in the group dances, no matter how dumb they may make you feel. 4. Do not leave early. Cram in as much dancing as you can until the last song.