Issue 15

TOWER the

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 Volume 88 Issue 15 thetowerpulse.net

A WEEKLY TRADITION SINCE 1928

@thetowerpulse

Gross e Pointe S outh, 11 Gross e Pointe B oule vard, Gross e Pointe Far ms, Michigan 48236

A

BRENNA BROMWELL & KATHARINE KUHNLEIN, both ‘16 //Associative Editor & Staff Writer new school-wide policy on tardies and changes to the existing cell phone policy will be implemented on the first day of second semester, Feb. 1, by the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) committee, Vice Principal Steven Wolf, said.

The PBIS team is compiled of the administration, including Wolf himself, and eleven other teachers that work to come up with expectations and policies for students, Wolf said.

“The new tardy policy is a clear expectation of what we want our students to do, traveling from one class to the next, consistently, across the board from all teachers in all parts of the building” Wolf said.

Prior to this, there was no set policy, instead, tardies were handled at the teacher’s discretion, Wolf said. Due to these inconsistencies and feedback received from staff, the PBIS team decided that South needed a uniform system for addressing tardies.

“We were really inconsistent with what teachers individually were giving as consequences,” Wolf said.

With the new policy, when a student is late to class they will receive a warning the first and second time. On their third tardy, they will get a 30 minute detention after school (detentions will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays). When a student is tardy for the fifth time (in one class), they will get a referral and a Saturday school will be issued, Wolf said.

“The number of students who have a lot of tardies, the volume is not high,” said Wolf, “However, those kids who do abuse it, they really tend to abuse it.”

The main goal of the policy is to act as a deterrent for students being late to class, Wolf said.

“When it’s first starting out, students won’t really know it’s a policy, so it won’t have a big impact at the beginning, but when people start getting punished for tardiness, it will have a much bigger impact,” Kaitlin Malley ’17 said.

However, Malley thinks it is a little extreme, because sometimes you have a class in the S-building and your next class in the IA building; in those cases sometimes you just can’t get there in time.

“I think it is definitely necessary because right now there is not a policy, so there is not punishment if you are tardy, although, it needs to be a little more lenient,” Malley said.

“I think Saturday school would be tough, but if you’re going to keep showing up to a class late and you know that’s coming, then you deserve to go to it,” chemistry teacher Jessica Wieseler said.

The request for the new policy came from the teachers themselves, Wolf said. Many teachers had requested a uniform, schoolwide policy.

“I didn’t notice that big of an issue with tardies in my classes and I just dealt with them on an individual basis,” Wieseler said.

“But I know as a school and as a whole there has been a lot of teachers who’ve complained about it.”

Students will also be hearing more about PBIS, which is a nationwide program, in the future, Wolf said. All Grosse Pointe Public Schools will be implementing PBIS programs this year.

The main goal of PBIS is to create more clear and consistent expectations for students.

Along with the new tarI think Saturday school dy policy, the PBIS team is would be tough, but if also implementing changes you’re going to keep to the personal electronic showing up to a class device (PED) policy, Wolf late and you know that’s said. Signs with red or coming, then you de- green lights will be placed in each class, signifying if serve to go to it cell phones are allowed to JESSICA WIESELER be out during that time.

CHEMISTRY TEACHER In the policy, it is expected that while in red light rooms, PEDs are silenced or on vibrate, and out of sight.

Malley thinks this new policy will be helpful to the the teachers who do not want their students using phones during class.

“Teachers can say ‘put your phone away’ as many times as they want, but unless they’re actually punishing kids for it then it’s not really going to have any impact,” Malley said.

The PED policy was not changed much from what it previously was, it was put into writing, Wolf said.

“We did have a cell phone policy here, but know one knew what it was. We couldn’t find in writing what it (the PED policy) was, we had a sense of what it was,” Wolf said. “We started from there, we changed very little and we put it into writing.”

Similar to the tardy policy, a student will receive a warning if they are caught using their phone in a red light room.

“If you have your cell phone out you get a warning, it’s a cell phone, but it can be a distraction,” Wolf said.

On second offense, the teacher will take the phone and keep it until the end of the day. After the third time, the student is written up and given a one hour after school detention. For additional offenses, the student’s PED will be confiscated and their parents will be called to come and pick it up.

Sick-outs, science standards debated at first State of Education town hall

SCHOOL OF THOUGHT // Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo speaks passionately in support of DPS teacher sick-outs. As a former DPS science teacher, she said working conditions are unacceptable since some classrooms have 50 students, mold the size of mushrooms and a lack of security.

PHOTO BY CHASE CLARK ‘18

LAUREN PANKIN ’16 // Supervising Editor Held on the same day Detroit Public School (DPS) teachers launched a sick-out resulting in the closures of 62 schools, the first State of Education in Michigan Town Hall was hosted and moderated by State Representative Brian Banks at Grosse Pointe North High School on Monday, Jan. 11.

“This is the first time we’ve had a panel of this diversity,” Banks said.

We have to start from Consisting of state superinground level and change tendent Brian Whiston, state how we think about representatives Amanda Price teaching science. and Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, Harper Woods superintendent CHRISTINE GEERER Todd Biederwolf, President Dan GPEA Representative Quisenberry of the Michigan Association of Public Schools Academies, the bipartisan panel included Grosse Pointe-based resident and former mayoral press secretary Greg Bowens, Grosse Pointe Public School System (GPPSS) superintendent Gary Niehaus and Parcellls science teacher and Grosse Pointe Education Association (GPEA) representative Christine Geerer.

Applauded and booed by an audience of more than 75, consisting of DPS parents, Grosse Pointe school board members, teachers, superintendents, attorneys and congressional staffs, the bipartisan panel debated topics ranging from state-run Education Achievement Authority (EAA) schools to the increasing competition of cyber schooling.

Niehaus said he supports online education and would like to implement an unconventional certificate system which grants students qualifications based on knowledge rather than time spent in a classroom.

“I really don’t like that we believe that every child in Michigan and the U.S. has to sit in a classroom for 16 weeks for one semester in order to gain the material or the skillsets,” Niehaus said. “There has to be a way to measure a student’s skillsets by either a certificate, or by some form of documentation that says they have mastered that.”

Although Gov. Rick Snyder floated around the idea of opening

The North American International Auto Show cruises into downtown Detroit JACK HOLME ’17 // Page Editor The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has been a Detroit attraction for close to 30 years and this year’s show kicked off on the 11th of this month with press day. The show opened up to the public last Saturday on the 16th.

The Auto Show has been always been a spectacle for not just journalists and car nuts to indulge in. The Auto Show prides itself as being a family function.

Every day during the Public Show there is a parade around the main floor at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily of The Parade Company. The parade will have luxury cars of all

THIS WEEK AT SOUTH

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jan.

jan.

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Midterms begin next Tuesday with 1st and 2nd hour exams from 8 to 11:15 a.m. <see pages 6 & 7>

school borders, Niehaus said he does not foresee the borders dropping.

Currently, school districts are given the choice to allow or restrict the entrance of students who live in other districts.

With the Nov. 2015 passage of new science standards which emphasize the application of skills, districts must update the curriculum and retrain teachers, Whiston said. This process will require funding for new equipment and time for professional development.

“Of course, the money and time isn’t there,” said Whiston. “We never make this easy, right? But we go through process of updating standards on regular cycle basis.”

Whiston said these standards were called for by teachers and drafted with the support and direction of educators and experts.

“Time for us is not as big of a factor as money,” Niehaus said. “When we look at textbooks and new techniques and science equipment that is going to be needed inside the classroom, that’s going to be expensive, but it’s also going to be a priority.”

Also passed in Nov. 2015, revised rules for teacher evaluations de-emphasize student test scores and allow districts a degree of autonomy in choosing their own assessments, Banks said.

As an alternative to the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP), Niehaus suggested the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), since he said it is well-researched, is not continually rewritten, and is a better growth standard for year-to-year comparison.

Moving forward, Whiston plans to involve parents and educators in designing standards, pursue a check for homeschooling and work toward the elimination of EAA schools.

For further information and perspectives on teacher evaluations, the DPS sick-outs, school of choice, charter schools, open borders, EAA schools, homeschooling and cyber school, check out thetowerpulse.net via this QR code.

kinds and local celebrities from: tv, radio, sports and some clowns and props to tag along.

For individuals who want to express their inner photographer the NAIAS and MLIVE have a photo contest for Best Selfie, Best Photo of the City of Detroit, Best Electric Vehicle, Best Family Photo, Best Concept Car, Best Black and White Photo, Best Luxury Car and Best Domestic Car. To submit your photos use the #NAIAS on: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Participants have the opportunity to win an array of Bose products.

SEE (NAIAS BURNS RUBBER IN DETROIT) ON PAGE 4.

Choir’s annual preview show will debut routines at 7 p.m. Thursday at Parcells.

PHOTO BY JACK HOLME ‘17

ON DISPLAY // The Dodge Viper ACR is shown during the NAIAS. This edition continues the legacy as a powerful icon of the Dodge line.

03

feb.

New tardy, cell phone policy creates cohesive guidelines

The Spirit of Giving will take place on Wednesday in South’s Main Gym. <see page 4>

news // 3

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Exposing the local underage sex trade

PHOTO CREATED BY EMMA CLUTTERBUCK ’16

In 2014 alone, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center answered 21,431 calls and 1,149 emails.

Since 2007, 19,724 cases of human trafficking have been reported to the NHTRC and Polaris’s BeFree Texting Helpline.

Average entry age of American minors into the sex trade is 12-14 years old.

Three of the FBI’s 13 highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation are in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

INFORMATION FROM CASEACT.ORG AND POLARISPROJECT. ORG

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ANTON MIKOLOWSKI ’17 // Staff Writer ith the recent discovery of a human trafficking ring in Detroit this past October, discussion of the issue has taken off both statewide and nationally.

With Michigan ranking at number two in human trafficking rates, behind only Nevada, Gov. Rick Snyder issued a statement cracking down on it in order to prevent the abduction of juveniles.

“It is unacceptable that a dangerous and appalling practice like human trafficking continues to be a prevalent problem across our state and nation,” Snyder said during the statement.

In doing so, signed in Public Act 325 in order to create a new commission within the Wayne County Sheriff Department--The Human Trafficking Commission, dedicated to the resolution of human trafficking in Michigan.

The Commission includes the pooling of information and data concerning human trafficking, according to their mission statement, and raising public awareness in order to hopefully bring it to a stop.

Yet such situations are delicate and strange, school social worker and counselor Douglas Roby said via e-mail.

“There is a significant mystery behind human trafficking, as it so often goes unreported,” Roby said.

Some of this mystery, however, can be attributed Clutterbuck said human trafficking is becoming to fear within individuals victimized by trafficking, such a big issue in America because of how often it according to Roby. is ignored and unreported.

“The manipulation and control over the person “A lot of people think that it is just foreigners or being trafficked is the root of the problem. The indi- people in other countries, but it in America, and it is viduals involved can be deprived happening here too,” Clutterbuck of the majority of life’s necessities said. like food and clothing, and they She learned also, during her The manipulation and project for AP Photography, that live in fear,” Roby said. control over the person it had become a relatively local isThis basis around necessities being trafficked is the sue, and was occurring frequenthas proven to be a significant root of the problem. The ly in Detroit. reason for trafficking, for many individuals involved can of those children between 13-17 “It is a super close to home iswhom were taken by their trafsue, and not enough people realbe deprived of the mafickers were poor without any ize that, ” Clutterbuck said. jority of life’s necessities resources or families to provide Yet at the same time, it is diflike food and clothing, Emma Clutterbuck ’16, who ficult to see how exactly human and they live in fear. had worked on an anti-human trafficking is happening, accordtrafficking ad for South’s AP Phoing to Roby.

DOUGLAS ROBY tography class (shown above) “It is difficult to find how indiSOCIAL WORKER recognized this, and said human viduals fall into it, but the maniptrafficking is an issue that not ulation and control are the root of enough people have been paying it,” Roby said, “It is (also) difficult attention to. to identify all the repercussions of human traffick“There are a lot of ads for smoking or drinking, ing, but it can shatter a life,” Roby said. things that people think they can do, things about In order to prevent tragedies such as this, Carl when they see them, or help themselves in some Griffin ’17, who notes that human trafficking is conway,” Clutterbuck said, “(Yet), I feel like human traf- sistently done in immigrant communities, believes ficking is a topic that isn’t addressed enough.” that a federal authorization should be put out to

allow increased immigrant quotas in America in order for less trafficking-for-immigration to take place. “(We should) increase the amount of immigrants we take in each year to allow for less people to have to be trafficked to get into our country,” Griffin said.

Griffin does, however, fear for the safety of those being trafficked, for even if they were to contact human trafficking resources, such as the Human Trafficking Commission or Homeland Security, there is a potential of deportation.

“If they seek help they are just going to be shipped back to their own country,” Griffin said.

And while this is a problem it is not something that many believe they can do anything about, Roby said.

Roby urges anyone who has any information on human trafficking to contact authorities or an adult immediately.

Sources to contact, such as Roby mentioned, would be organizations such as the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force, based in Lansing to combat the influx of trafficking in Michigan The official mission statement of The Human Trafficking Task Force is to offer a “collaborative effort to identify and rescue victims, prosecute offenders, restore victims, and educate,” according to Director Jane White of Michigan State University’s School of Criminal Justice.

Snowed in: understanding winter weather protocol ELENA RAUCH ’18 // Staff Writer On an average day, it takes chemistry teacher John Theisen two hours and 20 minutes to drive to and from Grosse Pointe South.

However, on snowy days, it has taken him up to four hours just to make his morning commute.

Principal Moussa Hamka said he recognizes teachers who live far away will have to think and plan ahead if there is a heavy snowfall expected.

“Staff that do live further away, at times have a hard time commuting,” Hamka said. “Myself, coming in on the highway, and at times even the highways aren’t cleared.”

Student safety during the winter is always a top priority when considering closing school, Hamka said.

The three people involved in calling snow days include Rich Van Gorder, said Deputy Superintendent Chris Fenton. Van Gorder is the building and grounds manager.

“Let’s say it starts snowing and is going to be a bad snow,” Fenton said. “Van Gorder starts calling me around 3:30 or 4 a.m. and tells me what’s going on with the lots being plowed.”

Fenton said he will then get in his car and drive around looking at the streets by the schools, seeing what kind of situation exists. He and Van Gorder then contact Superintendent Gary Niehaus based on what they see, and give him their opinion as to whether or not school should be canceled.

“The difference this year, for the first time in about 18 years, the new superintendent, Dr. Niehaus, lives in the district, so he’ll be able to assess things as well,” Fenton said.

“But I’ll call him and tell him what I think the situation is, and I’ll give him a recommendation to close schools or keep them open.”

The final decision is made by the superPHOTOS BY MARGOT BAER ’18

intendent, but it is somewhat based on the information given to him by Fenton and Van Gorder, Fenton said.

Fenton also said there are no exact measurements of snow that must be exceeded in order to have a snow day.

“Certainly the amount of snow is important, but it also depends on the time of the snowfall, and if the sidewalks have been cleared,” Hamka said. “We’re a walking community. We don’t have busing.”

Fenton agrees, saying the amount of snow is still important but other factors such as time of snowfall, whether or not streets have been plowed, how icy the roads are and the temperature are some other factors in the decision whether or not to have a snow day.

Finally, temperature is also a determining factor.

“We’ve canceled when there was two or three inches (of snow) when there was lots of ice, and we couldn’t get the salt down or the temperature was too cold,” Fenton said.

Hamka said temperature’s influence on cold days is a little trickier to judge.

“It’s more than just the absolute temperature. It’s also the wind chill.

We have to take both of those into We can’t determine consideration whether we’re going when we make to open or close school those decisions,” because they have more Hamka said snow where they are or The decision they can’t get out of their whether or not to have a snow streets or divisions. day is based on CHRIS FENTON local conditions DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT only. Since only about half of Grosse Pointe South’s staff lives in Grosse Pointe, some teachers have long drives, even in extreme conditions.

“This week, it’s been taking about an hour and a half or so each day. I’ve been waking up at 4:30 a.m. every day this week so I can leave on time,” Theisen said.

Hamka also has to plan ahead when the weather conditions are supposed to be more severe.

“I need to wake up a little earlier and make sure I drive the right car to work that day,” Hamka said.

Math teacher Lou Cook has to drive 25 minutes every day from Harrison Township to come into work.

Even after heavy snowfalls, the streets in Harrison Township are not plowed, probably because of budget

cuts, Cook said.

Sometimes she doesn’t have plowed streets until she gets into Grosse Pointe.

Although sometimes challenging for teachers, Grosse Pointe Schools can’t choose to open or close based on teacher’s street conditions where they live, Fenton said.

“We can’t determine whether we’re going to open or close school because they have more snow where they are or they can’t get out SNOW DAY // Plows remove snow from the of their streets or sidewalk for students and teachers to walk subdivisions,” Fen- to school. A reason for fewer snow days in ton said. “Having Grosse Pointe is a lack of busing. said that, it does offer challenges to us on a snow day. If we don’t close, we’ll probably have to pay a little more in substitute costs.”

Theisen understands why teachers are not the top priority when deciding whether or not to have a snow day.

“The people who are making the decision are trying to decide what’s best for the students. The fact that I live in Howell is in some ways my decision,” Theisen said.

Theisen said he thinks it would be nice if employee safety could be considered also, but he knows student safety is the first and foremost concern.

Sometimes, Fenton said he receives comments from parents, saying having a snow day is an inconvenience because now they have to take off a day of work.

About three years ago, a child care program run by the district was instituted, Fenton said.

The program is either held at John Monteith Elementary School or at Barnes Early Childhood Center. It’s an all-day program where parents can drop their kids off at 8 a.m. and pick them up at 6 p.m. The cost is $35 a day.

Hamka said ways of finding out if there is a snow day consist of checking Hamka’s Twitter account, turning on the local news or waiting for a phone call.

feature // 4

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

International Auto show burns rubber in Detroit

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 For individuals who want to express their inner photographer, the NAIAS and MLIVE have a photo contest for Best Selfie, Best Photo of the City of Detroit, Best Electric Vehicle, Best Family Photo, Best Concept Car, Best Black and White Photo, Best Luxury Car and Best Domestic Car. To submit your photos use the #NAIAS on: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Participants have the opportunity to win an array of Bose products.

One of the big reveals of the NAIAS was the Chrysler Pacifica. This

is a brand new mini-van for Chrysler, replacing the old Town and Country which hasn’t had a major overhaul since 2008. One of the impressive features of the vehicle is the 50-watt, built-in vacuum with 11.4 feet of retractable hose.

The vacuum is powered by Rigid and is more powerful than the Honda’s vacuum in its Odyssey mini-van.

Some of the most popular cars at this year’s show are the Ford Focus RS and the GT350R. New for 2017, he Focus RS,had people flocking to the Ford performance section. This Focus isn’t like the base mode. This trim-level makes 350 horsepower and 350 pound feet to

match. The car isn’t hard to miss, especially in “Nitrous Blue.””.

The other car in the Ford Performance booth was the Mustang GT350R, the race model of the GT350. It produces the exact same amount of power as the GT350 but has a lot of racing bits, especially with a giant spoiler off the back.

Both of these events will be open during the public showing, Jan. 16-23. Tickets for the NAIAS public show are $13$13 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and older and $7 for children $7. Those 6 and under are free with a parent or guardian.

E-tickets can be purchased at naias.com.

These are The Tower’s top picks from this year’s North American Auto Show (NAIAS) that is open to the public through the 23rd at COBO center.

JACK HOLME ’17 // Page Editor

8. The Lamborghini Aventador Roadster Superveloce

Lamborghini as a whole wasn’t present at the show. However, the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster Superveloce, provided by Robb Report, is the top of the line when it comes to Aventador convertibles. One thing it doesn’t lack is Lambo power.

With 750 steroid-infused horses under the hood, it will propel the driver towards 60 miles an hour in 2.9 seconds.

7. Volvo XC90

A revamp of Volvo’s SUV that has been on roads since 2002, this new edition has surpassed the bar of luxury SUVs. It is so good it was named Motor Trend’s 2016 SUV of the year. The most impressive thing about the XC90 is the comfortable interior.

6. Charger Hellcat

The Charger is a prime example of what happens when grown men design a car they wanted as kids.

With 707 horsepower for $65,945, it’s not a bad deal, considering what others companies charge for the same power. Alongside the Charger is the Challenger Hellcat, but the crazier of the twins has to be the former. It has four, full-sized doors and a trunk for groceries.

5. Chevrolet Camaro SS

PHOTOS BY JACK HOLME ‘17 & RAY HASANAJ ’18

All new for 2016 the new Camaro builds off the good points of the old Camaro with more aggressive styling and, of course, more power. It’s up 29 horsepower from last year with 455 horsepower at a base price of $37,295. But arguably the best feature of the car is the six-speed manual transmission that is becoming extinct in other cars.

4. Aston Martin Rapide S

If I won last week’s Powerball, I would take a look at this car and possibly add it to the garage. This four-door Aston Martin is the equivalent of a Van Gogh painting with 552 horsepower and quilted leather everywhere. This car wraps you in a cocoon of elegance and oozes decadence.

3. Buick Avista (Concept)

While this isn’t a realistic example of what his car will become, that doesn’t mean it isn’t drop-dead gorgeous. With its pronounced, flowing curves and sharp edges, this car definitely rivaled the number two car on this list.

2. Ford Shelby GT350R

The GT350R is the badder older brother of the GT350 the only differences between this car and the regular 350 is the slight cosmetic changes is the massive rear spoiler, other performances aesthetics and of course carbon fiber wheels. With all of the exotic supercar manufacturers going to fast dual clutch flappy paddle gearboxes, it’s nice to a company who really cares about the driving experience.

Both the 350 and the 350R come standard with a six speed manual.

1. Ford Focus RS

The one car that has constantly stuck in my mind throughout the week after seeing it was the Ford Focus RS. I liked everything about it. I’m usually against bright paint jobs, but the “Nitrous Blue” that it was dressed up in was stunning. This is the first time that I have stepped in a car and told myself, “I will own this car”, don’t know how, but I don’t care that’s how good this car is. The seats were the best seats of the day.

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feature // 6

Thursday, Jan. 21 2016

MIDTERMS SURVIVAL GUIDE: CALLIE ZINGAS ’16 // Staff Writer

GET SOME SLEEP

It’s proven that sleep deprivation impacts attention and limits short term memory. The best thing would be to get around 8 hours of sleep, but at least 6 is recommended. Rather than staying up super late in the evening, give your brain a break and wake up early to study more.

This will get the information flowing before the test and wake you up even more.

If you don’t get much sleep, caffeine is the next best thing Studies show drinking at least 200 milligrams (around two, eightounce ounce cups) boosts memory up to 24 hours after consumption.

So, not only will it wake you up, but coffee can help you study. Though adequate sleep is still the best thing during midterms and finals.

JOIN A STUDY GROUP

While some people prefer to study alone, study groups can really help with memorizing material. When you talk about information, your brain becomes familiar with it and tells your brain that it’s important. Cramming doesn’t signal the brain that the material is important and the material will take longer to memorize.

Though, if you can’t find a study group to join, talking out loud to yourself can help too. Revisiting material over a few days is very important too because it makes the memorization a lot easier.

WHEN RUSH

TESTING,

DON’T

When you finally sit down to take the test, read questions and directions carefully. Going too fast can cause sloppy mistakes. However, make sure to be aware of time. Skipping questions and going back is one strategy. Go back once you’veB+ answered all the questions you do know.

B+

GET COMFY

EXCERCISE

MAKE A SCHEDULE

CHOOSE A CONDUCTIVE STUDY SPACE

CLEAN OUT YOUR LOCKER

MAKE SURE YOU’RE READY THE NIGHT BEFORE

On the day of testing, wear loose clothing you won’t be able to fidget in. This will help assure that you won’t have any distractions while the taking the test.

Find a place with minimal disruption. If you study in your room, distractions will come out of nowhere.

Suddenly your closet will need cleaning, or you’ll notice the bed isn’t made. Ideal study places can vary, but find a spot that fits your study habits, such as a quiet coffee shop or the library.

REREAD ESSAYS AND REWRITTEN QUESTIONS

B+

As you’re testing, it’s easy to forget a word or structure sentences wrong. Think about what points you want to make and try to state them as clearly as possible.

Studying can make you tense up, especially sitting at a hard table with an uncomfortable chair. A quick workout like yoga or a 10-minute walk will relieve tension in your muscles and make you more alert.

Studying for midterms, you want the best resources possible. If your locker is messy, you could have important papers, notes and quizzes filing up the locker. Organization is important when studying for midterms, so be sure to start a few weeks in advance so you can focus all your time on studying. groggy during the test, which is not what you want. If you’re struggling to get out the door and have no time for a big breakfast, don’t panic. A granola bar or bagel are better than nothing.

EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST

Eating a good breakfast will boost your brain and wake you up.

Foods like yogurt and granola or an omelet with orange juice will give you energy. Though, don’t eat a heavy meal. This can lead to feeling

Before you sit down, tell yourself how long you’re going to be studying and which subjects. Sitting down with all of your textbooks and notes in front of you can be overwhelming. If you make a schedule of when you’ll be studying, what subjects and for how long, habits will be more organized.

You don’t want to rush the morning of testing, so lay out clothes and pack a bag the night before. This way you can grab what you need and go in the morning. This also will give more time for studying and making a healthy breakfast.

RELAX

Stress will hurt your performance and make it harder to focus.

Vividly imagining yourself doing well on the test will increase your chances of being calm and collected on testing days. Think about the situation, and tell yourself you’ll do well.

CALENDAR CHANGES AFFECT MIDTERM WEEK Carson Dennis ’17 said she is not happy because she GENNIE MARTIN’16 // Staff Writer This year, midterms have been moved a week said she always utilized the Monday off in past years later rather than being the week of Martin Luther as a key studying day for testing.

“I’m really upset about that,” Dennis said. “You King, Jr. Day. plan the whole weekend to study, According to Michigan law and you can’t even study as much mandated in the 2006-2007 You plan the whole as you hoped to, so that Monday school year, public schools are weekend to study, and you is really a savior of midterms.” prohibited from starting school can’t even study as much With the monday a week before Labor Day. This year as you hoped to, so that earlier this year, freshman like Labor Day was late, Sept. 7, Monday is really a savior of Alice Williamson ’19, who haven’t which pushes everything back a midterms. experienced a high school exam week, Principal Moussa Hamka schedule before, are concerned said.

CARSON DENNIS ’17 about the lack of study time close Because of this late Labor to the exams.

Day, students no longer have “I’m worried about it because a Monday free from school, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to study for mid-terms. I have all good grades right now,” Williamson said.

This change presents a conflict to many returning “I don’t want to fail my midterms and get a lower grade because I worked really hard all semester.” students.

However, Hamka said even without the Monday “We’ve gotten so used to having the Monday off that we’ve gotten into the routine of midterms, off, success on midterms is still an option with the and without it, it’s throwing everybody off,” Emma proper study techniques.

“I would encourage students to have time Frame ‘16 said.

While this year the Monday the week of management. Plan ahead. They still have Martin midterms will be a normal school day, the rest of Luther King Day off. They can still use it to study,” the week is similar to past years: first and second Hamka said. “I would encourage students to have hour testing Monday, fourth and fifth on Tuesday, some time management. Plan ahead. Utilize their sixth and seventh on Thursday and third the final weekend effectively.”

Even so, upperclassmen like Dennis are thrown day, Friday.

Regardless of the reason for the later mid-terms, off by the additional week before taking exams.

“I’m used to the two weeks so I’m mentally like

‘OK, we have one more quick unit and then we “So we are already at a two or three week review,’ but instead now we have a whole other disadvantage as it is, so our teachers are working chapter and then we study which I’m not used to,” diligently to condense as much material as possible,” Dennis said.

Hamka said.

While the push back of Labor Day may throw off Despite the setback, Rennell said he is hopeful students, it is also messing with teachers, especially AP scores will not be impacted. ones who teach AP courses. Midterms may be “Normally scores first semester and second shifted back a week, but the week of AP tests is not, semester are the same for both the classes,” Rennell which means there is less time to teach content, AP said, “and I still anticipate for them to be the same Government teacher Mike Rennell said. because I’m still going to do everything I can to do In fact, this year the day of the AP Government to prepare them the same.” test is May 10 instead of being between the usual However both Hamka and Rennell said that dates of the 13th through 15th. having midterms the week of MLK week was ideal.

“So I get a week less on the beginning of the “We’ll try to get there if we can,” Hamka said. semester and a week less at the end of the semester. “However, we also know that the state of Michigan So it’s cutting two weeks out of has a certain number of hours in my preparation for the AP exam,” days required for public schools I would encourage to meet.”

Rennell said. “That means I’ve students to have some got to either ramrod content With the state mandating that time management. school start after Labor Day, this down people’s throat, or I’m Plan ahead. Utilize their idea may not be plausible, and going to have to cut some stuff. weekend effectively.

So it’s going to make it a little the district may not be able to do more difficult for those second anything about it.

MOUSSA HAMKA semester students.”

“In the coming years when our PRINCIPAL In comparison, there are collective bargaining agreement schools in the south and in the expires, we are going to have to midwest that begin school mid to add approximately five days of early August, while Michigan didn’t start until the instruction to our calendar,” Hamka said. “They’re beginning of September. This allows these schools upping the minimum number of days required to to start preparing for AP testing much earlier, 180 days of school of classroom instruction.”

Hamka said.

SHORTER SECOND SEMESTER CREATES CHALLENGES CAM FRANCIS ’17 // Staff Writer As the first semester comes to an end, students are actually a little closer to the end of the year than they may think.

The second semester is seven days shorter than the first semester for underclassmen, and 17 days shorter for seniors, according to gpschools. schoolwires.net.

“It’s been brought to my attention by teachers and students,” Hamka said.

“There’s more days in the first semester than in the second semester.”

Hamka said the present calendar was agreed upon well before he became principal at the beginning of last school year.

“The district calendar is negotiated between the district and the union during a collective bargaining process,” Hamka said. “I know that (the district

calendar) was set some years back.”

Hamka said he is also aware of several proposed ideas for adjusting the calendar.

“Some people have suggested that (the district) shift some days and make second semester longer,” Hamka said.

The possibility of snow days makes this idea logical, as snow days tend to be in the second semester, which, if longer, would allow for that, Hamka said.

Another area of notice for Hamka and the rest of the district is standardized testing in the spring.

“The increase in (standardized) testing has really eroded the instructional days,” Hamka said.

In addition,the state’s continued hike of testing days will be a key concern in scheduling the years ahead, Hamka said.

Regardless of plans for future

calendars, this school year’s second length is very important, as the potential semester will still be significantly elimination of assignments and shorter than the first semester, and the assessments may put more weight on differing semester lengths can have a those that remain, Bernbeck said. substantial impact The difference in the on students, number of days is even It could condense the counselor Nick greater for Advanced curriculum, which I’m Bernbeck said.

Placement (AP) students. sure the teachers and “It could According to everybody has taken into affect (students) CollegeBoard.org, the account. It’s less time to differently because do what might be a very schedule for AP Exams of the amount begins on May 2, which is similar amount of work. of work they’re 42 days earlier than final NICK BERNBECK expected to do exams week, and 32 days COUNSELOR within each earlier than the start of semester,” Bernbeck said. “It could senior exams. condense the curriculum, which I’m sure However, the AP curriculum the teachers and everybody has taken usually accounts for the early into account. It’s less time to do what exams, AP Microeconomics and AP might be a very similar amount of work.” Macroeconomics teacher Bill Cayo said.

Awareness of the shorter semester “With AP Micro(economics) and AP

Macro(economics), there’s a course set of material that’s relevant to both,” Cayo said.

By covering information related to AP Microeconomics first, there is no need to revisit it again during AP Macroeconomics, Cayo said.

“That helps alleviate some of the problems with the shorter second semester,” Cayo said.

“It’s still a challenge.”

Cayo once tried teaching an AP Macroeconomics class with students that hadn’t previously taken AP Microeconomics.

“They hadn’t had any of that core material, so I had to cover all that, plus the regular content,” Cayo said. “That was super difficult.”

Second semester begins February 1, the Monday after midterms.

opinion // 2

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

Change in tardy, electronic device policies likely won’t work OUR VIEW // EDITORIAL

While Saturday school used to be a looming threat solely used during middle school, it will soon arrive at South for students with tardy issues in the coming weeks.

During the second semester, new policies regarding tardies and electronic device usage will be implemented by the administration and, depending on teacher participation, will have varying degrees of effectiveness.

According to the new tardy policy, the first and second time a student is late to class they will receive a warning.

After, they will receive a 30-minute detention after school from their third and fourth tardy. On the fifth tardy in one class, they will get a referral and a Saturday school.

The new electronic device policy requires a student to be given a warning the first time they are caught using their phone in a red light room.

On the second offense, the teacher will keep the phone until the end of the day. From a third time caught, the student is written up and given an hour-long detention.

After that, additional offenses will cause the device to be confiscated and parents will be called to pick it up.

While students should continue to work towards being on time and using their electronics during the proper time, they should not be blindsided by changing rules from teachers.

Whether a teacher plans to implement these new policies or continue to use an existing system, they should review their class rules during the beginning of the semester.

In a perfect world, teachers would implement these new policies and eventually all tardies and inappropriate electronic usage would be eliminated, but it seems unlikely all staff will be on the same page. In the past, policies, including the requirement of planners being signed as a hall pass, have been ignored or forgotten by teachers, who

Artwork by JEN TOENJES ’16

might view them as unnecessary or a distraction to class time.

One reason these new policies might be avoided is the added work created for teachers by them.

Especially the personal electronic device (PED) policy, which requires teachers to confiscate phones after a second offense and write up students after a third offense, there is added work for instructors which could deter some from applying the new rule.

HUMANS OF SOUTH:

Another possible hindrance for teachers when it comes to implementation could come from the rules already created in their classroom.

Teachers have used methods including tardy dice, which requires late students to roll dice with varying number of minutes they must stay in the class after school, and loss of participation points which comprise semester or quarter grades.

If a teacher already has established programs with which they are content, it seems unlikely they

Keagan Mulcahy ’18

would change their policy just because there is a new program announced.

While school wide policies for tardies and electronic devices in theory are good, similar to earlier failed policies like hall passes and the possibility of low teacher participation, when it comes time for these rules to be put in action things will likely stay the same as they were before these systems were introduced.

Stocking shelves, stocking up on grocery store work experience Countless times a day at F r e s h F a r m s John Francis Market, ’16 a cashier shouts to me,“Stock boy to the front for carts please. Stock boy to the front for carts.”

I’ve been a stock associate at Farms Market for about a year and half, becoming an experienced member of the Farms workforce. As many South students and faculty know, Fresh Farms Market is located just across Fisher and is a popular lunch spot for most students.

The typical shift for a stocker consists of a 3-9 p.m. on weekdays, and on Sundays the store closes at an earlier time, making it a 2-8 p.m. shift. Consisting of a dinner break, it’s known as the ‘closing shift.’

The current stock department has teenagers making up of classes of ’16, ’17 and ’18 as well as South, stock has workers from University of Detroit Jesuit and De La Salle.There are various departments throughout the store, including cashiers, pizza, produce, prepared foods, meat and stock. Stock serves as kind of a helping hand to all the departments in the respects of taking out trash and bringing up supplies when called upon.

Starting at the bottom of the work chain was a lesson in itself. Adapting to an environment with only a few people around my age made me seen as another adult. This kind of treatment

MY VIEW

NEWSPAPER

the

TOWER

STAFF

“Over the summer I was on vacation in Vermont, and we had heard about this cliff you can jump off of into the water.

When I got there, I hadn’t heard, but there was a spot that you weren’t supposed to jump off of because the ground was uneven. When I jumped off, I felt immediate pain in my ankle, and I swam over to the side. My ankle hurt, but my leg was underwater, so I couldn’t see anything. I tried to stand up and walk, but I couldn’t at all. That’s when I noticed my ankle was hanging on my leg. We called an ambulance, and it was really scary considering the nearest hospital was two hours away. The doctors found that I broke my tibia, fibula, and I dislocated every bone in my foot. I had to get two surgeries: one in Vermont and one in Boston, with one more coming that will also be in Boston. It was really hard at first walking with crutches and knowing I’d have to for three months, but I was thankful that I could still walk. The whole experience has taught me to not take things like walking for granted because you never know when they could be taken away from you.”

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Maiorana* ’16

Photo Editor Jennifer Toenjes* ’16

Associate Editors Brenna Bromwell* ’16 Emily Fleming* ’16

Business Managers Alexis Motschall* ’16 Asst. Mackenzie Harrel* ’17

Supervising Editors Gabi de Coster* ’16 Haley Vercruysse* ’16 Lauren Pankin* ’16 Sydney Simoncini* ’16

Online Editors-in-Chief Allyson Hartz* and Olivia Baratta*, both ’16

Page Editors Maggie Wright* and Zoe Jackson*, both ’16 Claire Yeamans*, Erykah Benson* and Jack Holme*, all ’17 John Francis*, Liz Bigham* and Ray Hasanaj*, all ’18

Online Section Editors Scarlett Constand* ’16, Adam Cervone* and Ariana Chengges*, both ’17 Riley Lynch* ’18

Copy Editors Brendan Cauvel*, Hannah Connors*, Julia Fox*, Juliana Berkowski* and Shannon McGlone*, all ’16 Rachel Harris* ’18

Online Associate Editor Preston Fossee* ’16

Online Copy Editors Lindsay Stanek* ’16 Lily Kubek* ’17 Online Social Media Directors Emma Andreasen* and Zoe Evans*, both ’17

Staff Writers

Adviser Rod Satterthwaite

Abigail Warren, Blair Shortal, Callie Zingas, Christina Ambrozy, Elizabeth Coyle, Gennie “The Tower” is the weekly publication of the Martin, Griffin Brooks, Hadley Diamond, Advanced Journalism classes at Grosse Pointe Hailey Murphy, JD Gray, Jessica Whitney, Jon South High School. It has always been a Theros, Katharine Kuhnlein, Lily Patterson, designated public form of student expression.

Lindsey Clark, Mac Cimmarrusti, Madeline The Tower is located in room 142 in DesNoyer, Olivia Frederickson, Grosse Pointe South High School. Please all ’16 contact us at 313-432-3649.

Anton Mikolowski, Bridget Driscoll, Cam Francis, Charlie Denison, Claire Hubbell, Emma Russell, Gillian Eliot, Jack Froelich, Jack Roma, Mac Welsher, Madeleine Glasser, Mary Grace O’Shea, Michael French, Olivia Sheffer, Sydney Stann and William Muawad, all ’17 Abigail Due, Arianna Pagenette, Brennan Zihlman, Cameron Smolen, Chase Clark, Elena Rauch, Evan Skaff, John Standish, Kaitlin Nemeh, Katherine Bird, Lauren Thom, Maren Roeske, Margot Baer, Mollie DeBrunner and Liam Walsh, all ’18

is something the classroom doesn’t provide, and all students should experience something like this before they graduate, Inside the stock job are the two main avenues of stocking, which are dairy and beverage. Dairy includes all things like milk, eggs, juice, bacon and yogurt. On the other hand, the beverage covers the pop cooler, isle and end caps on the wine isle of Farms. After a school day, the cooler is virtually empty from both lunches and after school, making the cooler a priority to have stocked as soon as possible.

The owners and management at Farms are a pleasure to work with and are a great example of entrepreneurship in running, maintaining and making a business thrive in the Grosse Pointe area. Some could argue the skills and knowledge, along with the real-world experiences of working in a business exceed the reaches of the classroom.

This makes me wonder if the things we learn in school are as relevant as the curriculum says. If schools would make it more of a plan to educate students on how to do things like a tax return, which I had no knowledge of how to do, rather than require two years of a language that most students will have little desire to use as they grow older.

Looking forward in my career at Farms, as many people know a new store is to be built within the upcoming years. This is an exciting time, and I’m anxious to see all the new things to learn with a new building to work in and around.

Errors Factual errors will be corrected on the opinion page or in news briefs written upon request and verification.

Letters Letters to the Editor are encouraged and will be screened for libel, irresponsibility and obscenity. The Editorial Board may edit or shorten letters as long as the meaning is Opinion Pieces unchanged. All letters must be signed and Editorials represent the majority opinion of include a telephone number for confirmation. the Editorial Board and are left unsigned.

Request to withhold the writer’s name Columns represent the opinions of individual from publication for good reason will be staff members and outside contributors. considered. Letters can be sent to the above email address, or dropped off in “The Tower” Editorial Board Room.

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feature // 5

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

SERVE unites charities for one night Around 100 non-profit organizations come to South this February

LIAM WALSH ’18 // Staff Writer Bringing approximately 100 charities to South on Feb. 3, the annual Spirit of Giving event will be hosted by SERVE to promote community volunteering.

“Spirit of Giving is like a trade show for non-profit organizations,” assistant director This one little of SERVE Allison Bakpackage can pro- er said. “Students can and learn about vide dinner to a come different volunteering family of five. opportunities. It’s almost like the College ALLISON BAKER Night but with volunSERVE Assistant Director teering opportunities.”

This year, charities include Gleaners, a food bank, SOAR, a tutoring service; and Ronald McDonald House, a place for families of sick children to stay during hospital visits.

“I can tell you about all of them, because every time I tell you about one, I fall in love with that organization,” Alicia Carlisle, director of SERVE said. “It’s kind of neat because we include our student organizations. So it’s a nice time for them to learn about Interact or our environmental clubs, so we’ll have a lot of clubs that kids can learn about, too.”

There’s a charity for everybody at Spirit of Giving according to Carlisle.

“You’ve got all these different organizations,. You’ve got Special Olympics. You’ve got literacy ones. We’ve got homeless ones,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got just about everything you can think of. Organizations that deal with cancer for kids. There’s so many opportunities for people to volunteer, there’s no way you can’t find something.”

There are other activities at the Spirit of Giving, like Kids Against Hunger food packaging lines and seed planting for Full Circle’s urban garden, said community relations specialist Rebecca Fannon.

“Hands-on activities like Kids Against Hunger food packaging lines, an American Red Cross Blood Drive, starting at 2 p.m.,” Fannon said in a press release. “Seed planting for Full Circle’s urban garden means you can start giving back to the community that night while you find the right fit for future volunteer endeavors.”

Kids against Hunger will be putting to-

gether over 5,000 meals at Spirit of Giving, said Baker.

“Kids Against Hunger scoops and weighs and packages the different meals. It goes to people in our community that need meals,” Baker said. “This one little package can provide dinner to a family of five. Add water, and you’ve got dinner.”

Soup for the Soul is at Spirit of Giving. Soup for the Soul is having dozens of restaurants donate soup to the event for people to have according to Carlisle.

“We partner with the Chamber to do Soups for the Soul, and so about a dozen restaurants in our area are donating big pots of soup.

So you can come in and get a cup of soup and walk around,” Carlisle said. “We ask for donations. You don’t have to give anything. You can just take it because it’s free. You can even put a penny in. Whatever’s there at the end of the night is going to go to one of our non-profits in a raffle.”

Through the opportunities at Spirit of Giving, students are able to get service hours just by going, Baker said.

“You could get service hours just by coming,” Baker said. “You could sit and do the line and get service hours by coming. So that’s a good way of getting service hours.”

SERVE also has an area on its website where students are able to log your service hours.

“What happens is when you want to keep track of service, especially as a freshman coming in, it’s the eas-

iest thing,” Carlisle said. “So you click on the Time Log button on SERVE’s webpage.

That’s the form. It takes you about 30 seconds. You plug that service in there, and now you have started your service record.”

The service record is also verified and students are able to send an e-mail and have their service record sent back to them, which they can use for colleges or NHS according to Carlisle.

“Colleges and scholarships know that

they are verified and not made up, which some people do,” Baker said. “And they look into it, and so this is a verified record that the district stands behind, so that’s pretty cool and it’s super easy to do.”

Spirit of Giving is at South this year, but it rotates and is at North if College Night is at South.

It will be held in the Main Gym from 6 to 8 p.m. A SERVE blood drive run by the American Red Cross starts at 2 p.m.

CHARITIES COMING TO SOUTH:

Forgotten American Harvest Red Cross

American Cancer Society

Ronald McDonald House of Detroit

Salvation Army

Gleaners Food Bank

Full Circle Foundation

Detroit Dog Rescue

All charities will have booths on Feb. 3 INFORMATION BY LIAM WALSH ’18

Service of middle school student touches thousands

A

GIVING BACK // Robby Eimers gives back to some of Detroit’s homeless. Even at a young age Eimer does his part in giving back to a community in need.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL EIMERS

ELENA RAUCH ’18 // Staff Writer fire sparked inside of Robby Eimers when he was only 9 years old, when his grandmother’s friend asked him to go with her to Detroit to hand out blankets.

Four years later, Robby, now a student at Merritt Academy, has been very involved with charity since this event, he said. He even started a The Eimers Foundation because of how moved he was by seeing all the homeless people in Detroit.

“You see one homeless person on the street, but seeing 50 of them really made a big impact on me, and I thought, ‘we have to start helping,’”Robby said.

Rachel, Robby’s mom, said this event triggered something inside of Robby that she hadn’t noticed before.

“He’s always had a big heart, but he really showed an interest after he went down (to Detroit) the first time and saw how many homeless people there actually

were,” Rachel said. “He didn’t really know the dynamic of it (before).”

Robby also said the Miguel Cabrera Foundation inspired him to start the Eimers Foundation, a foundation created to help people in Detroit.

‘We go down to Detroit, Martin Luther King and Third,” Robby said. “We pass out food, water, clothes, hygiene products.

We serve about 250-300 people a week.”

Robby said the best takeaway of helping people is the feeling he gets knowing he’s helping so many people.

Robby said he was humbled by the actions of one homeless man in particular. The man donated one dollar to Robby, and he thought about how much that dollar was worth to the man, yet he still donated it.

“I kept that dollar at my house,” Robby said. “Two months later, the guy passed away. We still have that dollar.”

Being involved with the Eimers Foundation, school, base-

ball and Young Marines, where he runs military drills, Robby has to balance his time, Rachel said.

“We try to just do (the charity) on the weekends, but sometimes he does have events that he needs to go to during the week,” Rachel said. “Usually it’s about five hours a week at least, depending on what’s going on.”

Rachel said last year, she calculated that Robby had spent 400 hours helping people.

“We try to keep them all balanced and try to not let (the charity) take over everything because he is only 13 years old,” Rachel said.

One of the Eimers Foundation’s goals of 2016 is to get a food truck, Robby said.

Rachel said Robby would like to own his own food truck so he can drive around and deliver food to the people who can’t make it to the place Robby usually goes to.

Robby has been getting a lot of attention from the media for his actions. Robby says he’s humble about the publicity, and he’s just happy to get the word out.

feature // 7

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

YOUR VIEW

We asked four students how much sleep they get per night and how it affects them

BENNA AMES ‘16 I get at least 6 hours of sleep, so I usually feel a little tired during the day except the little burst I get from lunch.

The secret life of a sleep deprived teenager:

Lack of sleep increases irritability, decreases performance and focus OLIVIA FREDERICKSON ’16 // Staff however only about 20 percent of adolescents get the recommended amount Writer It’s 3 a.m. on an early Thursday of sleep, Clark said.

Walsh said she rarely gets the recmorning and most people are sleeping, but not Molly Walsh ‘16, who is ommended amount, but recognizes the fact and tries to get to bed earlier exhaustingly still awake.

“Recently, I was fairly tired one when she can.

“On average, I only get 6-7 hours particular night, but when I went to my room to try to go to sleep I just of sleep, which I know is bad,” Walsh couldn’t,” Walsh said. “I couldn’t get said. “I know I should be getting more my mind to stop thinking about things, like 8-9 hours.”

There are high schools in other and I didn’t end up falling asleep until cities that will start later due to these well after 4 in the morning.”

According to a 2014 Stanford Med- types of conflicts, Bruns said. These icine report, the problem of tired teens schools use the logic that students aren’t fully functioning until later in the is a public health epidemic.

A lack of sleep affects both behav- morning and have slightly later start ior and academic performance among times.

“They (teens) fall asleep later, and students, pediatrician Dr. Laura Clark said via email, adding that sleep is es- they really don’t start functioning well sential for full functioning of the body until later in the morning,” Bruns said.

“It’s not that it (sleep) affects them difand brain.

“To me, you need more than six ferent. It’s the fact that their cycles are hours,” school psychologist Scott different than younger kids or adults.”

According to Stanford researchers, Bruns said. “You start suffering physically and cognitively if you get only six students who begin their school day at a later time, such as 8:30 a.m., report hours a night routinely.”

Teens who get inadequate sleep feeling less depressed and fatigued have difficulty with concentrating and during the day, as well as more emproblem solving skills, headaches or powered to success.

In addition to the different sleep muscle aches, memory problems, and can also be moody or irritable, Clark patterns in teens, Walsh said the transition to high school, such as increased said.

Walsh agreed, saying her mood can responsibilities and homework has caused her to have less sleep. suffer when she gets a lack of sleep.

“The extra time I used to “I think since I get stressed out have is now occuwhen I’m tired, I pied, and so my come across as beIt has been proven sleep cycle has ing standoffish, but over and over and over gotten pushed to I’m just really tired,” again that teens have a the back burner,” Molly Walsh ‘16 very different sleep cycle. Walsh said. said.

AccordAccording to reing to Stanford searchers at StanSCOTT BRUNS researchers, teens’ ford, in extreme cirSchool Psychologist time for sleep is cumstances students compressed, and can also be involved many have to wake in drowsy-driving accidents or suffer from anxiety, de- up before they are physically or menpression or even thoughts/attempts tally ready. In this process, they not at suicide. Social and cultural factors, only lose important amounts of sleep, such as the advancement of technolo- but their natural cycle is disturbed.

Clark also said teens are often busy gy, have all conflicted with the biology of adolescents and prevent them from with after school activities, sports, jobs and homework that keep them up late getting adequate sleep.

“It has been proven over and over at night.

With many responsibilities and and over again that teens have a very activities such as being on the South different sleep cycle,” Bruns said.

Clark said teens have a later sleep swim team, coaching for another onset and wake time relative to the swim team, service hours for NHS and sleep-wake cycles in childhood. These being a senior, the process of college changes in the sleep cycle, are the applications have all added to her lack of sleep, Walsh said. cause of changes in puberty.

“If I have to stay later at school beBecause of this change in the sleep cycle, adolescents are recommended cause, for example, I have swimming to get 9-9.25 hours of sleep each night, in the fall, I have to go coach, go tutor

for NHS or anything, it’s just adding book, Twitter or Instagram, and I find more time,” Walsh said. “Like I said, myself on a random page after I picked you just have so many more respon- up my phone an hour ago,” Walsh said. sibilities in high school that if you add

In addition, 64 percent use that on to all the work you have to do, electronic music devices, 60 percent it diminishes the amount of time you use laptops and 23 percent play vidhave to rest.” eo games within the hour before they Clark, however, said the biggest went to bed, according to the 2011 problem she sees with poor sleep in poll. teens is related to electronics and

When recovering from this screen time. Teens have a hard time lack of sleep, teens try to compensate turning off their for it by making up phones and setfor lost sleep on the The extra time I used ting limits for weekend, Clark said. to have is now occupied, Although this may their use which can make it hardseem like it helps, it and so my sleep cycle er for the brain is best to maintain a has gotten pushed to to calm down regular bedtime and the back burner. enough to go to wake up time, even sleep.

MOLLY WALSH ‘16 on weekends.

“Looking at Walsh agrees saya screen almost ing she feels being makes your mind think it’s daylight, productive with her days on the weekwhich is why they recommend no end is more beneficial than getting exscreen before bed for an hour,” Bruns tra sleep. said.

“I don’t ever catch up on the weekAccording to a 2011 National Sleep ends, because I feel super lazy if I sleep Foundation poll on electronic use, one in and I feel like I am not getting anycommon problem of sleep-phase de- thing done,” Walsh said. lay is caused when teens are exposed Researchers at Stanford concluded late at night to lit screens, which can that teens can’t efficiently recover by send the message that it’s not night- making up for sleep on weekends and time yet, from the retina to the part still end up waking up feeling fatigued of the brain that controls the body’s on Monday morning. circadian clock, which is your body’s What students should really do is natural time-keeper. keep a regular routine of things they Walsh agrees that being on the do before going to sleep, Bruns said. phone or computer can make it hard- They should keep in mind what time er to fall asleep, especially looking at a they need to be awake to get ready and screen right before bed. go to school.

“I think idealistically, you should If parents or teachers notice a teen probably not be on your phone or is fatigued, they should ask them if computer at least an hour before you they are aware of it, Clark said. A go to bed, but I don’t think it’s realistic medical evaluation from a pediatribecause I can be on my computer do- cian might be suggested to make sure ing homework late, and when I finish, there is nothing else causing the probI don’t want to wait an hour to go to lem. bed because I am already exhausted,” Some helpful tips to help get more Walsh said. restful sleep include avoiding naps or According to the 2011 poll on elec- taking a short nap so it doesn’t affect tronic use, 72 percent of teens bring falling asleep at night time, limiting cell phones into their bedrooms and caffeine intake, going outside daiuse them when they are trying to go ly since sunlight keeps your internal to sleep, and 28 percent leave their clock on track, and getting daily exerphones on while sleeping which can cise, Clark said. lead to being woken up by texts, calls “Falling asleep doesn’t start when or other notifications. you get in bed, put your head on the In addition to the distraction of pillow. You need some sort of routine,” getting notifications, lingering on Clark said. “If you are having issues apps for an extended amount of time then you need to back it up and look at can begin to cut into the time for sleep, what you’re doing before you try and Walsh said. go to bed.”

“Even if I’m really tired, I think it’s tempting to watch Netflix on my computer and just lay in my bed, or if I go on my phone, I start going on Face-

ADAM VAN OSDOL ‘16 I usually get 7 to 8 hours, and when I’m more rested, I’m more focused and not as focused on just staying awake and getting through the day.

SAM RIVARD ‘17 I usually get 9 hours, and I am more energetic during school and less likely to take a nap.

KATE SATTERFIELD ‘17 I get between 7 and 8 hours and I’m more stress out when I get less sleep.

INFORMATION COMPILED BY JULIANA BERKOWSKI ‘16 GRAPHICS BY GABI de COSTER AND HALEY VERCRUYSSEE ‘16

Cookies and cram: annual free tutoring event run by Link Crew returns to help freshmen prepare for midterms GENNIE MARTIN ’16 // Staff Writer Yesterday, Link Crew hosted its fourth annual Cookies and Cram tutoring session from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Student Commons. Last year, the event was a success, with about 100 students in attendance, Link Crew advisor Dennis Pascoe said.

Current Link Crew leader Angelo Pendolino ’17 said he attended the Cookies and Cram last year and his freshman year.

“It helps because the people that helped me knew the class, knew the material, and knew how to study, since they’ve already had taken midterms,” Pendolino said.

Along with experienced students, teachers including Pascoe and Melanie Lauer were there to answer questions from students, second year link crew leader Debra Nischik ’16 said.

Pendolino said students who came to get help at this event, rather than hiring a tutor who may have taken the class awhile ago, should be better off because the students in Link Crew have already taken the classes and know the material.

The freshmen in Link Crew should know their leaders and there- uncomfortable asking a leadfore should feel comfortable coming and getting help, Pascoe said. er for help, both Pendolino “I think they (the freshmen) have a pretty good and Nischik relationship with them(the leaders), so there’s nothsaid freshmen It helped because ing really to be worried about,” Pascoe said. “They’ve should still practhe people that helped seen their Link Crew leaders at a lot of events, so me knew the class, knew tice effective studythey’ve built a pretty solid relationship.” ing techniques by starting the material, knew how In addition to the Cookies and Cram event, Link to study at least a week ahead to study, since they’ve Crew is trying to reach out to freshmen who may be of their exams. already had taken midstruggling with academics.

“Don’t wait it to the last “We’ve left it up to the Link Crew leaders to help minute. Don’t save it until the terms the freshmen whenever they think it’s necessary,” night before,” Pascoe said. “I’ve Pascoe said. “They try to find out if their kids are ANGELO PENDOLINO ‘17 been there. I’ve done that. It doesn’t struggling, and if they are, they offer to help. We help. Lay out your time. See where you can’t force anyone to get help. That’s not really the can study. See what you can do. Make note goal. We want to make kids feel comfortable.” cards. And if you do it over the course of time, it’s going to be easier To those who couldn’t make the tutoring session yesterday or felt to remember.”

sports // 8

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016

’tis the (off) season

ROWING: Team prepares for winter regatta season MADELINE GLASSER ’17 // Staff Writer Competing in the first indoor race of the year, The Detroit Boat Club Crew rows in a special regatta on Jan. 31 on Belle Isle.

This regatta, called Motown Madness, is used to kick off the winter season and to allow rowers a chance to show how hard they’ve worked over the previous months, Erin Ptashnik ’17 said.

The womens crew has increased the intensity of the workouts to prepare for Motown, Ptashnik said.

“The types of workouts we do are usually long distance and sprints,” Ptashnik said. “It’s a challenging workout, but it will really help us.”

During the winter season, races are the same distance as a spring regatta, but the rower competes individually and on a rowing machine called an erg. Because the regattas are focused on individual skill, there is more pressure put on each rower, according to Ptashnik.

“Indoor regattas (winter regattas) can be stressful and fun. Usually, the bigger regattas are more stressful...but at the end of the day, if you tried your best, that’s all that really counts,” Ptashnik said. “You just need to have a positive attitude.”

The mens team has also been putting in a lot of time to perform better at competitions, Sorin Koszyk ’16 said.

“We train 23 hours a week with

three sessions each day: one in the morning, one in the afternoon, followed by cycling,” Koszyk said.

The mens team expects to do well in upcoming events, because they have performed so well in the past, Koszyk said.

“I think that the two other guys that I train with and I will win all of our events,” Koszyk said.

Both crews use the winter season as a way to prepare for the spring season, which is when the most important regattas take place.

The scores on the rowing machines will determine how the rowers will do in the spring season.

Although the indoor regattas are extremely physical, they are also mental, which makes them very intense, said Paige Swegles ’16.

“It’s mentally draining. You’re not only competing against each other but also yourself,” Swegles said. “There are dozens of ergs (rowing machines) lined up next to each other. People gather around and yell and cheer for the racer. It’s intimidating, but in the end it motivates everyone to do their absolute best.”

With the winter season starting, the crews hope to do better than last year to have a good start to the spring season, said Swegles.

“Winter season is vital to succeed in the spring season,” Prashnik said. “The sprints that we do on the water in the spring we also do on the ergs, so it’s really great practice.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTIN MALLEGG

Athletes put in overtime after traditional season

S

MOLLIE DEBRUNNER ’18 // Staff Writer tepping onto the court, racquet in hand, Maddie Paolucci ’17 directs her focus to the game which she has been dedicated to for most of life. After countless forehands, backhands and serves, she hits the ball with the precision of hundreds of hours of practice.

At the young age of six, Paolucci was introduced to the sport which she has since grown to love.

While some athletes look forward to the relaxing break of an off-season, the word ‘offseason’ has an entirely different meaning for Paolucci and other athletes, as they jump into an entirely new training schedule.

“Both of my parents played (tennis) so when we were little they would just toss us balls and just see if we liked to play,” Paolucci said. “They never really pushed me to do it, I just got into it because I liked it.”

Since winning her four singles flight at States freshman year, Paolucci has played in numerous tournaments, earned her varsity letter as a freshman and trains yearround to continue to enhance her playing abilities.

“I just really like doing it. There’s just something about it that just makes me happy,” Paolucci said. “I play almost every day. I take some days off like after I just really like doing tournaments and stuff like that, but I’ll also workout during the offseason.” it. There’s just something Throughout the year Paolucci said about it that just makes she trains and continues to improve me happy. her skills to excel on the team and advance her game.

MADDIE PAOLUCCI ’17 “With any sport the more experience you have, you’re going to have an

advantage over everyone else,” Paolucci said.

To avoid repetition in her training schedule, Paolucci said she shifts her focus from one aspect of her game to another.

“I try to do a little bit of everything,” Paolucci said.

“Some days I’ll just hit one-on-one with someone. Other days I’ll have privates or smaller groups. I like to differentiate my practices so I can get a little bit of everything.”

Like Paolucci, there are other student athletes take advantage of the off season to continue improving their skills in the sports they have grown to love.

With amenities available to them such as club teams and fitness centers, athletes are able to refine their skills and train year round.

“It makes a dramatic difference for the kids who do offseason work versus the kids who don’t,” Athletic Director Jeremy Hawkins said. “It definitely shows in terms of their performance.”

As student athletes move up to more competitive teams, it is harder to just get by on talent, Hawkins said.

Higher-ranked teams demand more as other players begin to catch up.

“What you really want is kind of that marriage of talent and the work ethic. The very best athletes in the school work really hard and they’re talented,” Hawkins said.

Each sport encourages a different regiment of off-season participation that will ensure its athletes stay in optimal shape, Hawkins said. While every team may encourage different aspects of a physical workout or skill training set, every sport at South designs some sort of offseason support to its players.

“There are lots of things they can do. Right now base-

ball and softball come in the cages What you really want and hit,” Hawkins said. “We’re getis kind of that marriage ting ready to start something for boys of talent and the work soccer too. A lot of the coaches unethic. The very best athderstand that you get better as a team during the off season.” letes in the school work Many students do have trouble fitreally hard and they’re ting off season training for one sport talented. into a busy practice schedule for anJEREMY HAWKINS other.

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR The coaches do a good job of being aware of when their players are playing different sports, so once their other season ends they can start working with them again, Hawkins said.

Sports like soccer have different teams available throughout the year to help players improve on the foundational aspects of the game as well as strategy and technique Hawkins said.

“We play three to five times a week, and have 11 or 12 games per season,” Sebastian Simon ’18 said. “You have to keep focusing and you have to keep improving your game.

You have to make sure that you’re always pushing yourself to improve for the next season, so you can make your next season the best that you can possibly make it.”

To be a competitive athlete, playing a sport isn’t just showing up for the games and competitions, it’s bringing as much off the field as one brings on.

“That’s a mentality that you have to have, that you only have a certain amount of time to improve,” Hawkins said.

“The very best athletes maximize on how much they can improve in that amount of time.”

SPORTS UPDATE

SPORT // Wrestling Record: 3-1 Captain’s Quote: “We are looking really good now. We had a couple guys place at last week’s tournament. We had five wrestlers place at counties, and districts are coming up in the next few weeks.” - Joseph Kurta ‘16.

Team Traditions: Pasta or pizza parties

SPORT // Boys Basketball Record: 4-2 Captain’s Quote: “Our main goal for the start season was to win the MAC conference. I unfortunately had to miss the last two games from an injury, but I am back playing.” -Jack Maher ‘16 Team Traditions: Pasta parties and the dance move, “hitting the dab”.

SPORT // Synchronized Swimming Record: 0-1 Coach’s Quote: “I think we’ll be very successful.

We have a few new girls to the team along with a few returning girls. I think that they put in a lot of hard work, and I think they will do very well.”

-Lauren Martin Team Traditions: Pasta parties

INFORMATION COMPILED BY GRIFFIN BROOKS ’16, EVAN SKAFF ’18 AND JULIA FOX ’16 PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRIFFIN BROOKS ’16, JACK ROMA ’17 AND JULIA FOX ’17