0809-8

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SQUALL THE May 1, 2009 Volume XIV Issue 8 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter MI, 48130 At the end of each trimester, library sci- ence students scan all 11,000 books in the media center. During their inventory check at the end of the second trimester, they found surprising results. According to the library science reports, 90 books have been lost or stolen accord- ing to the students’ inventory report, which amounts to over $9,000 lost. In 2008, in- ventory showed that $2,410 was lost. Li- brarian Jeanine Fletcher said this increase is based on availability. “At the request of students, I’ve been buying more fiction books,” she said. “The books stolen are always the best books on the best topics, and they’re popular to talk about.” Fletcher said it’s not only students who walk out with books but also community members who come to the high school li- brary for various services. Fletcher said she has even seen community ed. parents slip books into their briefcase before walking out of the media center. “Some people think because it’s tax payer’s money, it’s their due to take these books. To me,” Fletcher said, “the loss of these books is the most difficult part of my job.” To prevent recurring theft, Fletcher has proposed the addition of a new security sys- tem. “One wonderful option which I’ve sug- gested for both bonds is to install a security system which would be similar to depart- ment store systems,” she said. The security system includes the ap- plication of small metal stickers onto each book. If not deactivated by the scanner at check out, the system would ring an alarm, embarrassing the perpetrator. Neighboring schools such as Pioneer, Chelsea, and Skyline all use similar security systems, and with positive results. Shelley Weber, a media clerk at the Chelsea High School library, said, “We have been very fortunate over the years to have minimal missing materials when we do in- ventory. I would say that is the direct result of having a security system in place thus keeping an expensive collection in tact and readily available to our students and staff.” CHS has had their security system installed for at least two decades. “Media center collections are worth thousands of dollars,” Shelley said. “Hav- ing a security gate gives assurance that we aren’t wasting our time looking for material that has been removed from the room and the material is still in the Media Center.” Dexter High School principal Kit Mo- ran said Fletcher’s security proposal was- brought up in the recent bond wish list, but since it did not make the final list given to voters, it is unlikely to go through. However, Moran said the security up- grade the entire district is receiving through the bond will also help the library. The security upgrade will add several cameras to the library as well as prevent the library from being as accessible outside of school hours he said. Despite the small chances of the security system being added through the bond, Mo- ran said adding a security system is impor- tant, and money should eventually be found to support the cause. “We should’ve had one (a security sys- tem) before I got here,” Moran said. ”It’s probably cost effective since we are losing so much money. In the long run, we need to let kids know you can’t just walk out of the library with books.” JJ isn’t the only one who is missing. Anne Cassidy’s novel “Looking for JJ” is only one of over 90 books that have been sto- len, and it is needless to say, JJ isn’t the only one they’re looking for. From May 1, 2007 to March 5, 2009 Dexter High School’s library has lost $9,160 in books due to theft. Picture a large room. Full-length windows span up to the height of the vaulted ceilings. Rows and rows of wooden shelves line the walls, and computer desks dot the floor. Stu- dents work diligently with only the soft tapping of computer keys audible in the background. This room would not be expected as a stage for crime, yet theft continues to be an ongoing is- sue for Dexter’s library science students and staff. “I’ve been the librarian here for 34 years, and it has occurred every year. It’s a typi- cal problem in every library,” said librarian Jeanine Fletcher. “A lot of it is just human nature. I think they want to keep it for their own personal collection. They don’t want to be bothered even though it only takes a couple of steps to go to the desk and check the books out.” Although the library was designed for a se- curity system when it was built, one has yet to be installed. The concrete and steel footings needed to install a security system are already in place, but the cost of the installation is pre- venting it. “A security system costs $12,000- $16,000 depending on the type. I think it would be worth it to install one, but I’m not the one who makes the decision. You have to decide whether to buy things like computers or a security system.” Fletcher said. If the current theft trend continues, Fletcher expects a system would pay for itself in about two years. “I have hopes (that a security sys- tem will be installed), but absolutely no assur- ance.” Fletcher said. Assistant Principal Tim Authier said before the school invests in a security system for the library, the causes of the theft should be in- vestigated to determine what the best solution would be. “Dexter students are generally really good people, and we feel comfortable relying on the honor system,” Authier said. Authier also said even if a security system was found to be the most effective deterrant to theft and the most sensible solution to the problem, there isn’t currently enough room in the school’s budget for a security system. “Other needs such as upgrades in the build- ing and technology outweigh the need for a security system, and there isn’t an allowance for a security system currently in the bond,” he said. Regardless, Fletcher said the majority of the theft occurs at night when there isn’t any supervision in the room. “It isn’t just high school students,” Fletcher said. However, Fletcher also said the current state of the US economy has contributed an in- crease in theft. “It affects the school because we don’t have the money to replace them all,” Fletcher said. “The school has a different pop- ulation than it did 30 years ago when it was just a farming community. Now it isn’t just farm children. People don’t know each other as well and don’t take pride and ownership in the books they borrow.” Fletcher, along with others, hopes to see a resolution to this problem. However, with- out the installation of a security system, there doesn’t seem to be a resolution in sight. “It’s a silent crime,” Fletcher said. “As far as a punishment goes, there isn’t much we can do. Once the books are gone, it’s too late. When you steal from the library, you steal from every- one. Convenience for one person could mean the education opportunity of another. We’re all part of the same education community, and when you’re on the receiving end, you don’t always realize how much effort and time goes into adding each new book to the library.” Library looks into a new security system Ashley Stephenson staff writer 4 5 11 Dread Notes is the newest Dexter sensa- tion Page 4 Rob Glass gets evalu- ated after a year of being in Dexter Page 5 Check out the Pro-Con about gambling Page 11 Kevin Yarows & Caitlyn Rize sports editor & staff writer photo by Candice Wiesner

description

Check out the Pro-Con about gambling Rob Glass gets evalu- ated after a Dread Notes is the newest Dexter sensa- tion Page 11 Page 5 Page 4 year of being in Dexter Ashley Stephenson staff writer Kevin Yarows & Caitlyn Rize sports editor & staff writer photo by Candice Wiesner DEXTER PUB 2 On Main Street News Friday, May 1, 2009 Sarah Molnar staff writer Patrick Ledwidge trends editor Photos by Rachel Dethloff

Transcript of 0809-8

Page 1: 0809-8

SQUALLTHEMay 1, 2009 Volume XIV Issue 8 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter MI, 48130

At the end of each trimester, library sci-

ence students scan all 11,000 books in the

media center. During their inventory check

at the end of the second trimester, they

found surprising results.

According to the library science reports,

90 books have been lost or stolen accord-

ing to the students’ inventory report, which

amounts to over $9,000 lost. In 2008, in-

ventory showed that $2,410 was lost. Li-

brarian Jeanine Fletcher said this increase

is based on availability.

“At the request of students, I’ve been

buying more fi ction books,” she said. “The

books stolen are always the best books on

the best topics, and they’re popular to talk

about.”

Fletcher said it’s not only students who

walk out with books but also community

members who come to the high school li-

brary for various services. Fletcher said she

has even seen community ed. parents slip

books into their briefcase before walking

out of the media center.

“Some people think because it’s tax

payer’s money, it’s their due to take these

books. To me,” Fletcher said, “the loss of

these books is the most diffi cult part of my

job.”

To prevent recurring theft, Fletcher has

proposed the addition of a new security sys-

tem.

“One wonderful option which I’ve sug-

gested for both bonds is to install a security

system which would be similar to depart-

ment store systems,” she said.

The security system includes the ap-

plication of small metal stickers onto each

book. If not deactivated by the scanner at

check out, the system would ring an alarm,

embarrassing the perpetrator.

Neighboring schools such as Pioneer,

Chelsea, and Skyline all use similar security

systems, and with positive results.

Shelley Weber, a media clerk at the

Chelsea High School library, said, “We have

been very fortunate over the years to have

minimal missing materials when we do in-

ventory. I would say that is the direct result

of having a security system in place thus

keeping an expensive collection in tact and

readily available to our students and staff.”

CHS has had their security system installed

for at least two decades.

“Media center collections are worth

thousands of dollars,” Shelley said. “Hav-

ing a security gate gives assurance that we

aren’t wasting our time looking for material

that has been removed from the room and

the material is still in the Media Center.”

Dexter High School principal Kit Mo-

ran said Fletcher’s security proposal was-

brought up in the recent bond wish list, but

since it did not make the fi nal list given to

voters, it is unlikely to go through.

However, Moran said the security up-

grade the entire district is receiving through

the bond will also help the library.

The security upgrade will add several

cameras to the library as well as prevent the

library from being as accessible outside of

school hours he said.

Despite the small chances of the security

system being added through the bond, Mo-

ran said adding a security system is impor-

tant, and money should eventually be found

to support the cause.

“We should’ve had one (a security sys-

tem) before I got here,” Moran said. ”It’s

probably cost effective since we are losing

so much money. In the long run, we need to

let kids know you can’t just walk out of the

library with books.”

JJ isn’t the only one who is missing.

Anne Cassidy’s novel “Looking for JJ” is

only one of over 90 books that have been sto-

len, and it is needless to say, JJ isn’t the only

one they’re looking for. From May 1, 2007 to

March 5, 2009 Dexter High School’s library

has lost $9,160 in books due to theft.

Picture a large room. Full-length windows

span up to the height of the vaulted ceilings.

Rows and rows of wooden shelves line the

walls, and computer desks dot the fl oor. Stu-

dents work diligently with only the soft tapping

of computer keys audible in the background.

This room would not be expected as a stage for

crime, yet theft continues to be an ongoing is-

sue for Dexter’s library science students and

staff.

“I’ve been the librarian here for 34 years,

and it has occurred every year. It’s a typi-

cal problem in every library,” said librarian

Jeanine Fletcher. “A lot of it is just human

nature. I think they want to keep it for their

own personal collection. They don’t want to

be bothered even though it only takes a couple

of steps to go to the desk and check the books

out.”

Although the library was designed for a se-

curity system when it was built, one has yet to

be installed. The concrete and steel footings

needed to install a security system are already

in place, but the cost of the installation is pre-

venting it. “A security system costs $12,000-

$16,000 depending on the type. I think it

would be worth it to install one, but I’m not

the one who makes the decision. You have to

decide whether to buy things like computers or

a security system.” Fletcher said.

If the current theft trend continues, Fletcher

expects a system would pay for itself in about

two years. “I have hopes (that a security sys-

tem will be installed), but absolutely no assur-

ance.” Fletcher said.

Assistant Principal Tim Authier said before

the school invests in a security system for the

library, the causes of the theft should be in-

vestigated to determine what the best solution

would be.

“Dexter students are generally really good

people, and we feel comfortable relying on the

honor system,” Authier said. Authier also said

even if a security system was found to be the

most effective deterrant to theft and the most

sensible solution to the problem, there isn’t

currently enough room in the school’s budget

for a security system.

“Other needs such as upgrades in the build-

ing and technology outweigh the need for a

security system, and there isn’t an allowance

for a security system currently in the bond,” he

said.

Regardless, Fletcher said the majority of

the theft occurs at night when there isn’t any

supervision in the room.

“It isn’t just high school students,” Fletcher

said.

However, Fletcher also said the current

state of the US economy has contributed an in-

crease in theft. “It affects the school because

we don’t have the money to replace them all,”

Fletcher said. “The school has a different pop-

ulation than it did 30 years ago when it was

just a farming community. Now it isn’t just

farm children. People don’t know each other

as well and don’t take pride and ownership in

the books they borrow.”

Fletcher, along with others, hopes to see

a resolution to this problem. However, with-

out the installation of a security system, there

doesn’t seem to be a resolution in sight. “It’s

a silent crime,” Fletcher said. “As far as a

punishment goes, there isn’t much we can do.

Once the books are gone, it’s too late. When

you steal from the library, you steal from every-

one. Convenience for one person could mean

the education opportunity of another. We’re

all part of the same education community, and

when you’re on the receiving end, you don’t

always realize how much effort and time goes

into adding each new book to the library.”

Library looks into

a new security

system

Ashley Stephenson

staff writer

4 5 11Dread Notes is the newest Dexter sensa-tion

Page 4

Rob Glass gets evalu-ated after a

year of being in Dexter

Page 5

Check out the Pro-Con about gambling

Page 11

Kevin Yarows & Caitlyn Rize

sports editor & staff writer

photo by Candice Wiesner

Page 2: 0809-8

News2Friday, May 1, 2009

Sophmore Heather Jackson visited Can-cun for spring break and like many people, she and her family had concerns about visit-ing Mexico. “I’m going to Mexico, with my cousin, my aunt, my grandpa and my sister,” Jackson said. “My little cousins were going to go, but my uncle wasn’t comfortable with this, because of the drug wars.”

Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexi-co each year, but violence in the country has increased rapidly. According to the Mexican Tourism Board, 80 million Americans visited Mexico last year alone. By February, news was breaking daily about growing violence be-tween Mexico’s drug cartels.

News stations are warning parents to not let their children go to Mexico for spring break. According to the Media Awareness Project, Mexico tourism took a hit during spring break last month, when several universities advised students against traveling there.

The Media Awareness Project states that visitors have been declining steadily, and more than 20 percent of businesses in the tourist district have closed.

“I hear people talking, and from what I hear the problems are more towards the border of America, maybe Mexico City, but not really Cancun,” Jackson said. The U.S. mission in Mexico currently restricts non-essential trav-el to the state of Durango and all parts of the state of Coahuila, south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River for the U.S. number of areas along the border are experi-

encing rapid growth in the rates of many types of crime. Robberies, ho-micides, petty thefts and carjacking have occured over the past year. “I am not person-ally nervous. I tend to be a trusting person when it comes to these things,” Jackson said.

According to the Media Awareness Project, the greatest increase in violence has occured near the U.S. border. However, U.S. citizens traveling throughout Mexico should exercise caution in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surrondings at all times. Ciudad, Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities that have recently experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues.

“I think I have enough sense to stay out of trouble or any shady business,” Jackson said. And the resorts in Mexico are trying to spread a key message that Mexico is a large, diverse country, and not every area has been affected by the increase in drug violence. Security ex-perts say tourists can safely travel to Mexico, if they stay within their known resort areas and avoid traveling to Mexico by road and to avoid the U.S. border areas.

In recent years, dozens of U.S. citizens have been kidnapped across Mexico. U.S. citizens who believe they are being targeted for kidnapping or other crimes should notify Mexican offi cials and the nearest American consulate or the embassy as soon as possible and should consider returning to the United States.

U.S. citizens should be aware when visiting the border region, criminals are armed with a wide variety of weapons, according to the Mexico Travel Warning in Perspective.

U.S. citizens should make every attempt to

travel on main roads during the daylight hours and to avoid areas where prostitution and drug deal-ing may occur. The U.S. Embassy and consulates advise people to not travel on certain roads and places they have seen criminal activity, ac-cording to the Mexico Travel Warning in Perspective.

According to the Mexico Travel Warnings in Perpective, when traveling to Mexico, U.S. citizens are encouraged to stay in well-known tourist areas of the cities.

Travelers should leave their itiner-ary with a family member or a friend who is not traveling with them, avoid traveling alone and check with their cellular provider prior to travel to con-fi rm that the cell phone is capable of roaming in Mexico.

U.S. citizens are urged to not display ex-pensive- looking jewerly, large amounts of money and other vauable items.

Jackson said, “My grandpa has a timeshare right on the coastline, so if we travel around, it will just be close to town and stuff.”

The reconstruction of several bridges have been the focus of construction in Dexter for the past sev-eral years according to Construction Supervisor for the Washtenaw County Road Commission, Aaron Berkholz. Berkholz said the two bridges under his jurisdiction are the Main Street Bridge over Mill Creek and the East Delhi Road Bridge.

Berkholz, a member of the Road Commission since 1996, is a graduate from the University of Michigan College of Engineering. He began as a co-op for the Commission, but 13 years later, he is the Construction Section Supervisor of the Engi-neering Department.

Though the Main Street bridge has been under much scrutiny because it is a big intersection for students’ morning commute to school, Berkholz says the community has been very positive about the bridge’s outlook.

“Certainly the construction in 2008 did compli-cate traffi c in and around the Village of Dexter,” he said. “However, the village residents, area motor-ists and business owners were patient and under-stood the need for the bridge to be replaced. The new bridge is a long-term investment.”

Berkholz said the majority of reconstruction of the Main Street Bridge has already been com-

pleted. “Remaining items to be completed include the installation of bridge railing, color staining of the bridge, concrete curb and gutter work, fi nal as-phalt paving of the road approaches and restora-tion: topsoil, seeding, mulching,” he said. Accord-ing to Berkholz, the remaining of the work should be fi nished on the bridge in approximately four weeks.

Senior Dan Moir has been anxiously awaiting the completing of the Main Street bridge and al-ready loves the improvements made. “I’m much happier now,” Moir said. “I don’t have to get up 10-15 minutes earlier anymore.”

Moir also said the commute around town was a stressful one due to the bridge construction. “It made me really angry,” he said. “The whole town was backed up and congested.”

Other than the Main Street Bridge, the East Delhi Bridge has been out of commission for sev-eral years.

“Work on the East Delhi Road Bridge over the Huron River did continue over the winter months, to the extent possible considering the weather conditions,” Berkholz said. “Completion of the northerly foundation for the bridge has been de-layed due to high river levels. Pending a drop in the water levels of the Huron River, the northerly foundation will be completed and the truss will be set in place.”

According to Berkholz, remaining work in-

cludes: the installation of the new timber bridge deck and construction of the new road approaches to the bridge and restoration. “The timeline for the completion of the project depends heavily upon the springtime weather conditions, since the completion of the northerly foundation is the con-trolling item of work,” Berkholz said.

Senior Jennarose Rolfes lives in the subdivision Loch Alpine, and her commutes are highly affected due to the construction of the East Delhi Bridge. “It takes 20 minutes just to get on the other side of the bridge,” Rolfes said. “I have to go all the way through town.”

The East Delhi Bridge’s construction has taken longer than expected Berkholz said. “Area resi-dents have been patient and are excited to see the historic truss bridge rehabilitated and returned to service,” he said.

Though the Delhi Bridge construction has been a long one, Rolfes is anxious for it to be fi nished. “It’s going to be awesome because it’s going to the more convenient to go to the Delhi Park and Amanda (Orr)’s house,” she said.

The construction of the Main Street and East Delhi Bridge are almost complete, but another bridge is in the works. “The Road Commission is currently designing a new bridge on Dexter-Pinck-ney Road over the Portage Lake Canal,” Berkholz said. “Construction of the new bridge is currently scheduled for 2010.”

On Main StreetDEXTER PUB

Patrick Ledwidgetrends editor

Sarah Molnar

staff writer

Photos by Rachel Dethloff

Page 3: 0809-8

News 3Friday, May 1, 2009

Dance Marathon cancelled

Saturday, March 28 was a busy evening. As

students and staff hurried to get things ready

for Dexter’s first annual Dance Marathon, the

work staff, volunteers and Student Leadership

put into the dance was all for nothing it seemed,

because the dance was cancelled soon after 8

p.m. due to lack of participation. “Apart from

Student Leadership, Student Council and the

teachers and parents that helped, only three

people showed up,“ said freshman Jennifer

Stirling, one of the Student Leadership students

appointed to help set up. “All the chaperones

unanimously decided to cancel the dance when

no one really showed up. It was $25 dollars

so it’s kind of expensive, and there are other

activities and sports that happen on Saturday

nights, and I just don’t think it was advertised

well enough.”

Flowers Second @ States

Thursday, March 12 through Saturday,

March 14 was a crucial time for wrestlers

who made it to the Palace of Auburn Hills for

wrestling states: junior Dan Flowers along with

his two teammates, seniors Scott Santoro and

Corey Chamberlain. Flowers took runner-up

in the state finals. Flowers said there are some

things he would have changed to take first. “I

would have stayed away from the tie-ups,” he

said. “I never really got any good shots in. I

would have been a lot more aggressive. It felt

good to represent Dexter in the finals. The

entire state was watching. It was kind of nerve

wracking, but that went away before I went

down to warm up. I am looking forward to next

season; I have a lot of tournaments coming up

soon too. I am ready to win states.”

Crawford nearly wins date

Senior Mitch Crawford that 102.9 W4

country was looking for a junior or senior to

call in and get a chance to take Katie from the

radio station to prom. Crawford called the

radio and asked Katie to prom along with four

other guys and one other girl. Crawford said

the reason he decided to call in was, “I didn’t

go my junior year, and I thought what better

way to go than in a limo and not have to pay

for anything.” Crawford was then put on a poll

on the W4 country website for his classmates

to vote for him. Soon after he was in a close

second place. After about a week of voting the

girl who entered the competition was caught

cheating and was disqualified from the polls.

The station only ran the polls for another day

or so and Crawford took second place, enabling

Nakona from Milan to win. “I knew that I had

pretty much lost by seeing that the Milan kid

was winning by like 70 percent so it wasn’t

really a surprise,” Crawford said.

Food Auction a success

The senior food auction was held

during third hour on March 20. This

auction helped raise money for Muscular

Dystrophy and Cystic Fibrosis. “I think

we rose around $2,100 dollars or a l i tt le

less,” senior Annie Oxner, one of the food

auction chairs, said. “We sent a letter to

staff and asked them to donate food or

money for pizza, and almost everyone

did. Tickets were a dollar, and we used

the t icket money to buy al l the other

groceries. It was around $300. When the

auction started, we had absolutely no

money but a lot of food.”

As the student population inches closer to the

school’s capacity, more classrooms are growing in

size. The downsides of overloaded classrooms are

visible, but there are also hidden advantages to

the increasing number of students joining Dexter

High School.

Overloaded classrooms vary from subject

to subject. Counselor Gerry Holmes, said an

overloaded classroom is one which has one or

more students over the contractually designated

limit of students in a subject.

“DHS is doing its best to limit general classes

such as Economics, Psychology, Algebra or

Popular Literature to 30 students; lab classes

such as Biology, Chemistry or Art to 25 students;

writing classes and AP classes at 27 students and

most PE courses to 33 students,” Holmes said.

Holmes said there are 37 overloaded classrooms

this trimester.

From Holmes’ perspective, though, overloaded

classrooms are almost unavoidable. “It is nearly

impossible to create a perfect master schedule to

fi t all 1,200 students and staff,” Holmes said.

And Principal Kit Moran said the overcrowded

classrooms can be considered a plus for the

school. All over the county schools are feeling the

effects of the plummeting Michigan population.

So, the growing number of students in the school

is a symbol of the community’s strength against

the crumbling Michigan economy and population

according to Moran. “I hope to have overcrowded

classrooms,” he said.

Holmes, however, said that the overcrowded

rooms could have an impact on students’ learning

ability. “I believe everyone agrees that somewhat

smaller class sizes provide the best learning

environment,” she said.

Unfortunately, she said, the district does not

have unlimited funds to address this problem, and

Holmes said the best way to combat overcrowded

classrooms and possible effects on a student’s

learning ability are great teachers. “Fortunately,

DHS is blessed with many excellent teachers,” she

said.

Also, Holmes said counselors are working hard

to decrease the number of overloaded classrooms

for next year. “Counselors are working closely

with administrators and staff to create a better

trimester master schedule for next year,” she

said, but added the problem will likely persist

into following years, with the number of packed

classrooms signifi cantly reduced.

Although, as Moran said, “I would much

rather have an overcrowding problem than not

enough students.”

And despite the problems overcrowding

brings, Holmes said she and other counselors are

off to a good start on fi xing this problem. “In my

view, we are way ahead of where we were at this

time last year,” she said. “I’m confi dent it will be

much better for everyone next year.”

News Briefsby Krickett Luckhardt

When senior Taylor Bartscht arrives to school she isn’t worried about the fact she may not have completed her fi rst hour homework, or that 50 question Scan-Tron test in second hour or the dreary notes she may have to take in third hour.

Instead, Bartscht looks forward to her pre-veterinary classes she takes at Saline High School for Consortium.

“I decided to go into Consortium when in my sopho-more year there was the intro day which introduced ev-eryone to Consortium,” Bartscht said. “I knew since I was nine that I wanted to be a vet, so I knew that taking Con-sortium would help me out a lot in the future.”

But not only has Consortium helped Bartscht out, she has done things in her pre-veterinary program that she could not have been able to do in normal high school classes.

“In my classes this year we’ve groomed dogs, raised chickens and got them killed and sold them and raised tilapia,” she said.

Yet Bartscht said during her junior year she took more science-related courses.

Even so, all of the science related classes Bartscht has taken, whether it being at Saline High School or at DHS have taken Bartscht far.

She said she plans to attend Michigan State University next fall and enroll in their Pre Veterinary Program.

Like Bartscht, junior Colleen Kennedy plans on going into the fi eld of consortium she’s in. “I decided to go into

health sciences,” Kennedy said. “It seemed really inter-esting and I wanted to get some college credit.”

Kennedy’s health science classes take place at Chelsea High School, and according to Kennedy, starting April 27 for the entire week, she’ll be at the Chelsea Nursing Home.

“While at the nursing home we’ll be learning how to take care of the elderly and their needs,” she said.

But Kennedy said traveling to the Chelsea Nursing Home isn’t the only visit she’ll make while being in con-sortium.

“The last two weeks of school we get to visit St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. We’ll be in the Neo Radical Intensive Care System which deals with premature babies,” Ken-nedy said. “While there we’ll learn about how to take care of babies.”

While Kennedy likes visiting the hospitals and nursing homes, she said she’s most excited about the fact she gets to leave school for three hours during the day.

“It’s nice to get away for a couple hours,” Kennedy said. “I’m able to meet new people from other school dis-tricts.”

Kennedy said she said has met people from Chelsea and Manchester districts.

All in all Kennedy fi nds consortium a positive thing. “Consortium is really career set,” she said. “If you know what you want to do or have an idea I defi nately recom-mend going into consortium, not to mention you can even get some college credit.”

Sarah Akbarifard

ad manager

Taylor Bartscht:

Takes

veterinary

courses

through the

Consortium

program

Collen Kennedy:

Works at

the Chelsea

Nursing Home

through her

Consortium

classes

Kelly Johnson:

Studies

cosmetology

through the

Consortium

program.

Erin McAweeney

staff writer

Illustration by Gabe Altomare

Page 4: 0809-8

Feature4Friday, May 1, 2009

When students walk into the high

school on May 2, the decorations will

be breathtaking; the food will be

exquisite; the games will be amusing.

Dressed in their best attire, most

students will mosey

around the school,

taking everything in.

After all it is Prom. But

a major factor of prom is

often ignored. An aspect that

without it, the dance would

not exist. The aspect being

parents.

“The parents do such a w onder f u l

job planning”, Chair of Prom, Mary Ann

Parr said. “I honestly could not tell you how

much work is involved. Every member of

the committee work so hard and the end

product is simply spectacular.”

According to Parr, the time and effort put

into Prom are all worthwhile in the end.

“Our time is absolutely worthwhile as

long as the students have fun and have

a memorable experience. We want this

Prom to stand out among the Proms from

previous years,” Parr said.

Parr not only plans a unforgettable Prom

night, but also wants more students to

come. According to Parr, to encourage more

students to come to Prom, the

ticket price has been reduced

from $40 to $30.

“We hope to have an signifi cant

number of student attendees, at least

400, because of reduced ticket price

this year,” Parr said. “We wanted to

help everyone out a bit and with

this economy right now, we can not

afford to have such high prices. We

want everyone to come who wants to and

not have people turned down because of a

money problem.”

Parr said she just wants students who

attend to have a great experience.

“I feel happy regardless of the turnout,”

Parr said. “This experience has been a great

opportunity for me.”

Junior Waleed Mansour was

inspired. Ever since he saw “Three Men

and a Tenor” in third grade, he wanted

to start an acapella singing group. He

knew singing was in his blood, and he

wanted to share his talents to others. So

he fi nally decided to start a group called

the Dread Notes.

“I still sing in every class,” Mansour

said. “(AP US History teacher Angela)

Chea commented me on it one time.”

Senior Mike Szymusiak said he

and Mansour used to sing in A.P. U.S.

History every day.

“Chea said she misses us singing,”

Szymusiak said. “She said it made her

day.”

The new group of Dread Notes

consists of fi ve people: Mansour, junior

John Oliver, freshman Patrick Rodgers,

Szymusiak and junior Brandon

Vant’land.

“We used to have seven people when

we started, but they couldn’t fi nd time to

do it anymore, so now our group is down

to fi ve,” Vant’land said. “We were trying

to recruit people because we originally

wanted nine people in our group.”

Mansour said everyone in Dread

Notes is fully devoted to the group, and

they practice twice a week.

“We practice in the choir room in the

morning and then at my house on the

weekends,” he said.

Rogers said it always tiring to practice

in the morning before school.

“We start practice at 6:45,” Rogers

said.

Currently, the Dread Notes are

practicing singing “Drift Away,” “My

Girl,” and “Stand by Me.”

“We really want to get better before

we start performing in front of people,”

Mansour said.

Vant’land said everyone in the group

thought it would be cool to sing in an

acapella group without instruments.

“I think that it’s really cool Waleed

made this group,” he said. “It’s a fun

after- school thing to be a part of.”

Vant’land said he has been singing

for as long as he can remember. Not

only is he a part of Dread Notes, but he

is a part of a church worship group that

he sings with every week.

“Our practices are pretty laid back,

but we focus enough to get stuff done,”

Vant’land said. “It’s just hard to get

everyone there at the same time.”

Rogers said after people left in the

group it seems that the amount of effort

put towards practices has declined.

“We still get things done at practice

but if we had more people we would try

harder,” Rogers said.

Vant’land said with every practice

the group is getting better. Before

Dread Notes goes out and performs in

front of people, they want to practice

more to become even better.

“We sang one time for Waleed’s

family, and they thought we were pretty

good,” Vant’land said.

Szymusiak said since the group has

perfected their three songs, they are

hoping to make a youtube video soon.

We’re playing it by ear for now,”

Szymusiak said.

Oliver said Dread Notes doesn’t have

any defi nite plans, but they are thinking

of fun ways to make Dread Notes a part

of the school.

“We had talked about following

people in the hallway and singing to

them,” Oliver said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s

nice to just hang with some guys and

sing.”

Parents help with promBrittany Martinimanaging editor

According to the recent

evaluation of Superintendent,

Robert Glass, he has done well

with the transition to and working

with the district including the

implementation of trimesters.

The Board of Education’s

evaluation said they are extremely

pleased with the way Glass has

been able to transition in just a few

short months and has “exceeded

the Board’s expectations in all

areas that were reviewed and

has address each goal in the

Transition Plan.”

Glass was evaluated on things

such as oversight of the new

trimester system, implementation

of the recently passed bond and

evaluation of Dexter’s future

kindergarten program.

The Board said Glass has

a good understanding of the

program that should help future

students as well as helping avoid

current problems.

Coleen Hill

staff writer

Rob Glass Evaluation

keynotes

There is a video on www.youtube.com, coming soon of Dread Notes singing

They are hoping to sing at choir concerts in the future

They hope Dread Notes carries on after everyone leaves

Their motto during practice is that they are “Too Legit to Quit”

Mike SzymusiakWaleed Mansour

Patrick RodgersBrandon Vant’Land

John Oliver

Certifi ed Michigan Green School

For open houses & tours:

2015 Manchester, Ann Arbor, 48104

734 971 7991 www.summer-knoll.org

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“We want this Prom to stand

out...”

the nearlywed game

getting hyped off sugary sweets

dancing like there’s no freshman moms watching

pwning in mini golf

hollywood squares

a new activity to be unveiled

Kendall Chappellstaff writer

theguys

Page 5: 0809-8

Feature 5Friday, May 1, 2009

The song “Sexy Back” by Justin

Timberlake blares as several senior

boys enter center stage. But there’s

something unusual about this

performance. This time, the stage

is being used for something other

than the occasional band or drama

performance.

The boys, dressed in the most

ridiculous outfits they could find,

are all sitting on chairs, and then

they start breaking out into a

choreographed boy band dance.

This was the scene that senior

Mike McCarthy had been looking

forward to for weeks. McCarthy was

supposed to perform in the third

annual Mr. Dreadnaught Pageant

along with at least seven other senior

boys, but now is not sure if it will even

happen due to lack of participants.

The competition was originally

planned for Friday, April 17 in the

CPA, but has been delayed until

further notice to give others extra

time to join. The pageant may not

happen at all if not enough people to

get involved.

“I guess there just wasn’t enough

motivation for people to join. Seniors

are too lazy,” senior Steve Merz who

plans to compete in the pageant,

said.

Just a short time away from the

scheduled date for the competition,

there were only four boys committed

to perform, only half of the necessary

eight needed to have a valid

competition according to Senior

class adviser Ryan Baese who’s in

charge of the pageant.

The competition is open to any

senior boys who would like to be

involved. Merz advises others to

join so the pageant will still be able

to happen.

“I was really excited for the talent

part and being able to show off all of

the cool outfits we picked out,” Merz

said.

There were a series of practices

to prepare for the opening dance,

which all of the competitors will

be involved in. The dance is being

choreographed by senior dance team

members Charlotte Frutig and Krista

Valdmanis.

Frutig said, “We were chosen (to

choreograph the dance) kind of at

random, but also because we both

had dance experience.”

The boys will be judged on their

performance of the opening

dance, sports/casual wear runway

walk, talent competition, formal

wear runway walk, where they are

escorted by a girlfriend or friend

and lastly an interview where they

are asked questions based on their

given individual interests.

“I think the

competition is a

fun last thing

for seniors to

do before they

graduate,” Baese

said. “And It’s

d i s a p p o i n t i n g

(that it’s being

postponed). Over the

past two years, people

have worked hard to build

Mr. Dreadnaught. There are a lot of

great guys in the Class of 2009 who

could make this pageant great, but

there is just not enough interest.”

+ Come to rehersal

+ Be on time

+ Have friends there

for support

+ Have fun

+ Be prepared

+ Be humorous

(and appropriate)

1: Choose what type of job you

want

L e t ’ s b e h o n e s t , n o o n e

w a n t s a m i s e r a b l e j o b o v e r t h e

s u m m e r . I f y o u ’ r e t r y i n g t o

r a k e i n s o m e d o u g h , w h y n o t

p i c k s o m e t h i n g t h a t y o u d o n ’ t

d r e a d d o i n g e v e r y d a y ? I f t h e

s m e l l o f g r e a s e b o t h e r s y o u , I

d o n ’ t s u g g e s t w o r k i n g a t a n y

s o r t o f f a s t f o o d j o i n t .

2: Research before signing up

Nothing’s worse than heading

into a job not knowing what you’re in

for. Now, there is small possibi l i ty

you may be in for a nice surprise.

But, i f your luck’s l ike most of us,

you’ l l be stuck with a job you did not

intend on getting. Being prepared

before taking the job can also score

brownie points with the big cheese

of the off ice.

3: Prepare a resume

W r i t i n g a r e s u m e i s a n i m p o r t a n t

p a r t o f t h e j o b p r o c e s s . M a k e s u r e

t o s t a y f o c u s e d t h r o u g h o u t a n d

i n c l u d e y o u r q u a l i f i c a t i o n s a n d

a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s .

4: Be ready for interview

In some jobs , the interv iew wi l l

make or break you. So , te l l ing

the boss about the funny s tory

f rom the par ty you had las t n ight?

Yeah, not a good idea . Expect to

be hammered wi th quest ions about

why you qual i fy for the job and

past exper iences as we l l . Make

sure to s i t wi th a n ice posture .

Looking l ike you don ’ t want to be

there won ’ t he lp the s i tuat ion a t

a l l . However , the key po int i s s tay

coo l and ca lm, looking the boss in

the eyes fo l lowing wi th a conf ident

answer .

Summer Jobs, Tips and TricksSarah Moir

staff writer

Q&A with Ariel Star

[employed by Stucchi’s]

Q: What was the fi rst step you took to

try and get a job?

A: I went in and got an application to a

couple of places. Initially, I didn’t get the

job, but a couple of months later I got an

e-mail asking if I was still interested.

Q: How would you suggest fi nding a

job in the summer?

A: I’d go in early and try to fi nd a job

before the summer starts.

Q: How many hours do you work per

work and is it worth what you make?

A: Per week, it depends. But usually

I work around 10 hours. It’s worth the

pay, especially when it gets toward

summer because you get more tips.

Q: Did you fi nd the process for fi nding

a job hard?

A: I’d say it was diffi cult, but not hard.

It takes effort, you can’t just expect to

get hired right away.

Ali Bowman

staff writer

A f

ew

pla

ce

s t

o l

oo

k t

his

su

mm

er

Stucchi’s7050 Dexter Ann Arbor RdDexter, MI 48130(734) 424-0525

Dairy Queen8041 Main St.Dexter, MI 48130(734) 426-8647

Busch’s7080 Dexter Ann Arbor RdDexter, MI 48130(734) 424-0152

Meijer5645 Jackson RdAnn Arbor, MI 48103(734) 222-0300

How to get a summer job• Keep an eye on the classifi ed section in the newspaper

• Take advantage of friends’ workplace

• Ask to set up a time where you can talk to the manager

• Fill out more than one application, expand your choices

• Look out for help wanted signs at local businesses

choreograph the dance) kind of at

random, but also because we both

had dance experience.”

The boys will be judged on their

performance of the opening

dance, sports/casual wear runway

walk, talent competition, formal

wear runway walk, where they are

escorted by a girlfriend or friend

and lastly an interview where they

are asked questions based on their

given individual interests.

“I think the

(that it’s being

postponed). Over the

past two years, people

have worked hard to build

Mr. Dreadnaught. There are a lot of

great guys in the Class of 2009 who

could make this pageant great, but

there is just not enough interest.”

Illustra

tion

by

Ga

be A

ltom

are

Page 6: 0809-8

Health6Friday, May 1, 2009

Knowing hot herbal tea is healthy, sophomore

Colin Clegg automatically assumed iced tea was

just as good. “I drink iced tea, and I think it pre-

vents me from getting sick,” he said.

And according to school nurse Aileen Ker-

nohan, iced tea does contain many antioxidants

which are good for health. White tea has the

most antioxidants, but all teas contain them Ker-

nohan said.

However, Kernohan also said many iced teas

students drink contain high levels of corn syrup

or high fructose corn syrup which means stu-

dents essentially pay to drink sugar water.

Lisa McDonald, owner of TeaHaus, a tea shop

in Ann Arbor said, “The beverages you buy in the

drink aisles in supermarkets and convenience

stores like Snapple or Lipton Iced Tea really

shouldn’t be considered real tea.”

McDonald said these popular iced tea drinks

are a combination of little tea concentrate and

sugar water. Therefore, whether it’s diet or not,

the health benefi t is very minimal.

“Freshly brewed iced tea is best. It has the

most fl avonoids, the antioxidants in tea,” Kerno-

han said. “To get the most health benefi ts, tea

should be brewed from tea leaves.”

A good way to make your iced tea tasty in a

healthy way is to add natural citrus. Kernohan

suggests squeezed lemon or orange juice into the

tea. If sweetness is desired, natural sweeteners

such as brown sugar can also be added

Clegg said, “I drink iced tea all the time. Usu-

ally before, after and during my shows and prac-

tices with my band. The iced tea soothes my vo-

cal cords.”

Even though Kernohan says she has never

heard of tea soothing vocal cords, she said it

could be true knowing tea with lemon and honey

was an old-time remedy for colds.

McDonald said TeaHaus carries a green tea

with very strong peppermint oil that many peo-

ple get when they have a sore throat.

Clegg said he fi gured this home remedy out by

drinking iced tea fl avored with ginseng and hon-

ey which helped his throat while he had a cold.

Although iced tea is, in fact, labeled as a tea, it

may not be as healthy as freshly brewed tea.

“Many bottled iced teas are that in name only,”

Kernohan said. “The tea is from powders and

concentrates that resemble tea but don’t have the

antioxidants of freshly brewed tea.”

However there are ways to make hot tea, iced

tea. McDonald said, “Any tea whether it be herb-

al, black, green or whatever can be made iced.

One just brews it hot and either puts in the fridge

until cold or pours it over ice. I can say that as

long as it is not a bottle of sugar water or diet

sugar water with a bit of tea in it, I’d say all real

iced teas will be healthy.”

John Brundage

staff writer

Lisa Crompton

staff writer

For those seeking physical activity outside as the last of the snow melts away, the options that Hudson Mills offers are almost limitless.

Regardless of your interests, your day at the Metro Park will probably begin at the Activity Center where equipment rental, exhibits, information about the park and on the weekends, food, are available.

Several paved and unpaved trails, including a 3.5 mile paved hike/bike trail allow for activities such as jogging, walking, biking, roller blading, skate boarding and hiking.

Hudson Mills is also a pet-friendly facility. Provided that they are on a maximum fi ve foot leash, pets are al-lowed in all areas.

To accommodate anyone with a ball and a couple friends, Hudson Mills features tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts and shuffl eboard courts. It also has baseball diamonds and several large, multi-purpose soccer fi elds. These facilities can be reserved in advance via the activity center.

Also in Hudson Mills is a 24-hole disc golf course, as well as an 18 hole golf course with a country club.

If you just want to relax, Hudson Mills has several pavilions for picnics, scenic hiking trails, benches by the Hudson River, a plethora of nature-related activi-ties, most of which have activities and clubs surround-ing them sponsored by Hudson Mills, including but not limited to hiking, botany and bird watching.

Even for those who hate the outdoors, Hudson Mills has a number of indoor facilities. Patrons of Hudson Mills have access to a comprehensive, informative na-ture center and a staff who have DNR training.

Hudson Mills is also located on the coast of a large river, opening up activities such as fi shing, kayaking/ca-noeing.

If your interests are of an artistic nature, Hudson Mills offers no shortage of scenic locations and quiet places to work.

If you need a quiet place to work or read, there is space enough in Hudson Mills for everyone to have a quiet place to of their own.

If you drop by during the winter, Hudson Mills offers cross country skiing on nature trails. Each year, Hudson Mills grooms over four miles of trails for use by cross country skiers.

If you have younger siblings, Hudson Mills has many activities for children in nearly all of the above activities. Swing sets and play structures are also among the many things that make a day in the park with your younger sibling(s) possible.

If the deer population at Hudson Mills becomes too high they will open it up to hunters for a few days.

For those who seek permission, Hudson Mills allows people to camp on the grounds. The sites available for camping are equipped with fi re pits, pumps and porta johns, and the sites are frequented by youth organiza-tions and adult groups alike.

Hudson Mills is also the host of several festivals, most notably on the Fourth of July and Labor Day. These in-clude live music, food and fi reworks.

The numerous grill equipped picnic sites and pavil-ions give people a place to eat as well as providing a gath-ering place for companies, sports teams and churches to have banquets and get togethers.

Whether alone, with some friends or with several hundred people, Hudson Mills has designed itself to meet your needs.

illustration by Gabe Altomare

Photo ill

ustatio

n by V

alentino A

rgiero

Page 7: 0809-8

News 7 May 1, 2009

7 7 May 1, 2009May 1, 2009

7 7 May 1, 2009

NewsNewsNewsNewsNewsNews

“Being green is staying clean.” This is the phrase surrounding

one of the new murals being painted on the second story walkway

by the library.

Recycling and becoming green has become a part of everyday

life. And now it will become part of Dexter High School with the

new student mural dedicated to becoming environmentally friend-

ly.

Student Leadership teacher Erin Palmer and her peer leader-

ship class are in charge of the new student-designed murals going

up around DHS.

“As a new teacher, when I came into the school, I noticed the

murals that had already gone up,” Palmer said. “Part of student

leadership is school beautifi cation, and school spirit, and I thought

the murals would be a good way to help this.”

Palmer and her students are very passionate about the new mu-

rals. Palmer said her students are especially excited about them.

“Most of them we will start painting around the time we get

back from spring break,” Palmer said. “The students working on

the project are all very excited to paint the murals and make their

school unique.”

Upon noticing how plain the school was, sophomore Codi

Troutt, one of the students working on the new murals, said the

student leadership class began to think of ways to make the school

more exciting.

“We started thinking about things that would make the school

brighter and more fun,” she said. “Eventually someone mentioned

the murals that were already up, and we decided to hold a student

mural contest.”

According to Palmer there will be three new murals going up

around the school this spring.

Each one will be painted by students who have volunteered to

paint, such as senior Garret Camilleri, and each painter will be as-

sisted by the Student Leadership class.

“Were going to be putting up three new murals,” Palmer said.

“One will be about recycling and going green, another will be a se-

nior mural, and then the other one will be one designed by a stu-

dent.”

Troutt said the new murals will make the school more exciting

than it is currently.

“The school is really boring right now. The walls are just plain

white brick and it’s not very much fun,” Troutt said. “Once we put

the murals up, the school will be more exciting and colorful.”

Troutt decided to become involved with these murals not only

because of how bland she thought the school was but because of

her own interest in art.

“I am not a very artistic person,” she said. “But I really like art,

and I thought the murals would be a lot of fun, because they were

art.”

According to Troutt, these murals will have a positive affect on

the school as well as the students.

“The school will be a lot brighter and fun,” Troutt said. “Hope-

fully this will help but students in a better mood and make them

more excited to come to school.”

In the city that never sleeps, the towering skyscrapers,

vivid advertisements and neon lights paint a picture of urban

life at its fi nest. For the members of the Dexter High School

orchestras, this picture of lively color came to life when the

group traveled to New York City for spring break.

For viola player Jeanette Ganz, the trip was her fi rst visit

to New York.

“It’s one of those cities where you can walk down the

street and hear fi ve different languages spoken,” Ganz said.

“You drive into a different neighborhood, and it’s like a com-

pletely different world.”

For sophomore cello player Jeff Pituch, the trip was his

sixth to the city, although it was his fi rst time traveling in

such a large group.

“I just basically wanted to avoid all of the really touristy

kind of stuff,” Pituch said. “I hate feeling like a tourist.”

Unfortunately for Pituch, the group’s activity-packed itin-

erary included visits to popular tourist sites like the Statue of

Liberty and the Lincoln Center, as well as a bus tour of city

monuments. However, Pituch still managed to have a good

time.

“I’d say it met my expectations,” Pituch said. “My favor-

ite part was tanning on Liberty Island and defi nitely me and

Jesse (Schoof) getting a ton of compliments from old ladies

saying they liked our look at the Phil.”

The performance of the New York Philharmonic was one

unique aspect of the itinerary that Pituch got to experience

for the fi rst time.

“The New York Phil was dece,” Pituch said. “I could only

pay attention to the fi rst fi ve minutes of each song, so in the

other time I counted all of the lights in the whole place and

got 899.”

In addition to the philharmonic performance, the group

also had the opportunity to see the contemporary, award-

winning Broadway musical “In the Heights,” about life in the

Washington Heights area of New York City.

“I really liked the musical,” Ganz said. “It was reminis-

cent of ‘Rent’ in the sense that the characters were people you

can actually relate to.”

Pituch also enjoyed the performance, saying, “The play

was pretty good, but not quite ‘Lion King’ caliber.”

Another important part of the group’s schedule was a per-

formance in the Madison Avenue Sculpture Garden atrium,

where the orchestra played a mixture of pops tunes and clas-

sical pieces for an audience of businesspeople enjoying their

lunch.

“The atrium was hard to play in,” Ganz said. “You couldn’t

hear worth anything, but I think we held together pretty well

considering the circumstances.”

In addition to the performance, the group also had a string

clinic during which they worked under the instruction of one

of the conductors of the New York Philharmonic.

“It was really cool,” Ganz said. “The conductor was a little

intimidating at fi rst, but he got a certain fi nesse out of us that

we hadn’t ever reached before.”

All in all, students said the trip was a success. After all, as

Ganz said, “It really doesn’t get much better than being able

to go to a big, exciting city to hang out with your friends

and play music.”

Kaitlyn Shepard

features editor

Emily Van Dusen

copy editor

LOTUS rocks the mic.Kyle Boren

Entertainment/arts editor

What happens when you splice the

genres of electronic, techn and jam band?

How about putting this mixture with an

intense light show, a good-vibe crowd and

a stellar ballroom? You get a damn good

Lotus concert to enjoy, nod your head to

and, depending on your mood, dance in the

crazy lights.

Going into Rothbury last summer, Lotus

was on the obscure list of the jamatronica

bands that played the crazy midnight show.

But most Rothbury-goers were impressed

by these five musicians from Colorado. Lo-

tus clawed their way into many festival-go-

ers favorite bands and got the second invite

to this summer’s festival.

Lotus played at a smaller venue than

Rothbury on April 1, but it was obvious

many people who attended this concert,

also saw Lotus at that show, as many peo-

ple sported their Rothbury apparel.

Although there was a smaller crowd at

the Crofoot Ballroom, it was a much bet-

ter Lotus experience, and it did not affect

the rowdiness of the crowd. Lotus has had

their own rowdy following for some years

now.

Lotus started as just another under-

ground band trying to catch a break. But

with non-stop touring beginning in 1999,

they have attracted an army of nationwide

fans. It’s not hard to become interested

in Lotus. Going to a Lotus concert with-

out any prior knowledge of their albums or

songs is what attracts people to them.

The concert started with a loud thump

of a techno bass, and bone-chilling bass

guitar followed. And then the rest of the

band erupted into a jam session that lasted

two and a half hours. With less than a five

second pause between each song, Lotus

wouldn’t let the audience catch its breath

from the epic song before or recap on the

awesomeness of it.

The two main founders of Lotus are

twins Jesse Miller and Luke Miller. Luke

plays bass, and Jesse plays rhythm guitar

and deals with electronic panels as well.

And the Miller twins have some ties to Dex-

ter.

Ever seen senior Caleb Polley, or fresh-

men Dylan Polley a freshmen, sporting a

Lotus T-shirt? “It’s pretty sweet to see all

these people drive to Pontiac to see a band

that my cousins are in,” Caleb said, “To

hear the crowd chant Lotus afterwards was

pretty neat too.”

Caleb also attended the concert to see his

cousins play for the first time. “It was pret-

ty neat to go backstage and meet the whole

band,” he said. “One second Luke was just

in the crowd with me. The next second he

was up on stage being applauded.”

Photo by Emily VanDusen

Freshman Peer Leadership students Taylor Cassidy, Lindsay

Green and Stephanie Matich paint a mural of the earth to encourage people to

save the environment.

Photo by Lindsay Gagneau

Page 8: 0809-8

Sports8Friday, May 1, 2009

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She sticks the

landing, getting a

rare score of 9.575 on

the vault. Freshmen

Claire Tewksbury, is a

gymnast who said she got her

start because she had way too

much energy.

Her mom enrolled her in

gymnastics when she was 7 years

old, and she said she has been in

love with it ever since. Sure, she has

had some ups and downs, but who

doesn’t?

“I just knew that I wasn’t about to

quit anytime soon,” Tewksbury said.

When she fi rst started, Tewksbury

said she was physically fi t and ready but,

“No matter how strong you are they will

always make you stronger.”

Gymnasts are on strict diets, they

watch what they eat and have to be

totally dedicated. “Sometimes you come

home and can’t function,” she said. “The

pain and injury isn’t worth it.” She even

fractured her skull, but she still did not

want to quit.

In fi fth grade Tewksbury had a

practice at EMU. She fi nished a routine

on the vault and was going to help a

fellow teammate out of the pit when the

teammate let go of her hand, and she

fell off the four-foot stage and dove head

fi rst onto the wood fl oor. “I thought

that the wall kept going behind me but

I didn’t,” Tewksbury said. She was out

for four weeks, but quitting did not cross

her mind.

“All I could think about was getting

back into they gym,” she said.

People may think the reason someone

does a sport is because they are dedicated

to it, but Tewksbury said she is addicted

to it. “I can’t imagine what I would do

with myself if I stopped; the adrenaline

rush is what it’s all about,” she said.

She said she has seen friends around

her quit and become disinterested, but

she wasn’t going to quit just because all

her friends had quit.

“I wasn’t about to quit the sport I

loved just because all my friends quit,”

she said.

She plans to follow through in high

school but also said when it comes to

participating in gymnastics in college,

“Heck no! My body cannot handle too

much more. I’m done after I graduate.”

Tyler Hansborough elevated into the

air, brought the basketball back behind his

head, and slammed home a resounding

dunk, bringing over 70,000 screaming

fans to their feet on his way to leading his

North Carolina Tar Heels to a NCAA college

basketball National Championship.

In the middle of the mass of fans stood

two of Dexter High School’s own, loving

every moment of being able to experience

an NCAA Final Four in person.

“I love basketball, especially college

basketball,” said math teacher Dewey

Scott, who attended the Final Four and

National Championship game in Detroit.

“Being able to go the Final Four is

something I have always wanted to do.”

The Final Four is the culminating

event to the NCAA College Basketball

Tournament. The tournament, commonly

known as “March Madness”, places the 65

best teams from Division I basketball into

a winner take all set-up, where one loss

means elimination. The team that survives

the madness earns the right to be crowned

National Champion.

Connecticut, Michigan State, North

Carolina and Villanova survived the

madness this year and advanced to the

Final Four, which was held at Ford Field.

The bracket set-up pitted Michigan State

against Connecticut in the fi rst game and

North Carolina against Villanova in the

second game, with Michigan State and

North Carolina winning. Those two teams

then met in the National Championship,

with North Carolina topping Michigan

State 89-72.

“I’m a huge (Michigan State) fan

so I really wanted to go,” senior Brent

Muse said, who attended the National

Championship game. ”It sucked that

they lost, but it was still a really fun

experience”

Scott, a Michigan fan, did not mind

seeing State lose as much, but he agreed

with Muse and said the experience was a

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Obviously we would have wanted

closer seats, but we still were able to watch

the games in person, which was something

I have always wanted to do,” he said.

The basketball games were played

at the Detroit Lions home football fi eld,

verus a basketball arena for a basketball

game, a topic which caused a lot of debate

for many sports journalists before the

games were played.

Many had worries that the stadium

would be too big for a basketball game, too

quiet and the fans would not be able to see

the game. However, Muse had a slightly

different experience.

“My dad got the tickets through work,

and they were really good seats,” he said.

“We were in row 10 in the fi rst half, and

then for the second half we got to sit in a

luxury box. Our seats were great, and we

had an amazing view of the game. I had no

problem seeing anything.”

Scott said his seats were also surprisingly

decent for the size of the arena.

“We were in the lower bowl, and while

we were fairly far away, but we could still

see the game,” he said. “It wasn’t bad, but

I wouldn’t have sat any farther away.”

Scott also said the arena as a whole was

a successful venue to watch a basketball

game in.

“I don’t think there were a lot of great

seats, but I do think there were a lot more

good seats than for a normal basketball

game,” he said.

As for the journalists fears of the arena

being too quiet, Muse said the noise in the

larger arena was much more intense than

he had expected.

“It was pretty crazy in there. There were

a ton of people, and a lot of State fans,” he

said.

Scott, who attended the two Final Four

games and the National Championship

game, said that the National Championship

game was especially loud.

“The noise was pretty good,” he said.

“At points it may have even been better

than a game in a regular arena. The

Championship game got kind of crazy with

all the Sparty fans there. I loved the whole

experience. Just being able to go to a Final

Four. I would love to go again.”Four. I would love to go again.”

Sirah Camara

staff writer

Alexander Dobbs

staff writer

photo courtesy Claire Tewksbury

In her blood: Freshman Claire Tewksbury has

been a gymnast since she was 7 years old

Page 9: 0809-8

Mens golf and womens and mens tennis

now have something in common. They are

both overcrowded.

Both the varsity and JV golf teams are

filled. No cuts were made. But because both

teams are filled, there are quite a few kids who

have to stand and watch while their buddies

take the course. This is degrading to some,

and some kids won’t be

back because of it.

Forty-five people

played golf this sea-

son according to head

coach Frank McAuliffe.

The varsity takes only

six people, leaving the

JV entirely too crowd-

ed. The junior varsity

team is filled, and some

people don’t necessarily

care as much as others,

but there are some peo-

ple who think the over-

crowded environment

takes the fun out of the

sport.

Freshman golfer

Mitch Manzagol said,

“All of the people make things somewhat dis-

organized. Yes, it is crowded. With all of the

people, there comes the bad players, who kind

of ruin it. They ruin it because they take so

long on the course. I would prefer less play-

ers, so you wouldn’t have to wait so long, and

the groups would be smaller. I think it’s cool

that more and more people are taking inter-

est to the sport, but I would rather have (golf)

smaller in numbers.”

Head golf coach Frank McAuliffe, on the

other hand, disagrees. McAuliffe said, “I

think it’s great that more and more people are

taking interest. Though all of the players is a

good thing, I don’t really have enough help.”

McAuliffe said he likes the surplus in play-

ers, but he wishes he had some assistance. “I

wish we had more help,” he said. “With all of

the players, there is a need for more help. We

certainly have some kids that are brand new

to the game. There are some kids who haven’t

played in any tournaments

yet.”

The JV takes but six play-

ers as well, which means

as their friends take the

course, players who didn’t

practice well enough have

to just watch, according to

McAuliffe. “In some cases,

golf isn’t as demanding

physically,” he said, “Golf

is a sport you can play for

a long time. You can play it

for a lifetime, as opposed

to football or basketball,

sports which demand more

physical ability.”

Tennis is also experienc-

ing record numbers. Senior

tennis player Ryan Kuhns

said he likes the fact more people are playing

tennis. He thinks skill isn’t really an issue if

there are more people.”

He said, “I would say that more people

basically results in more skill. I would rather

have more people. I would say 20 people is a

good number, so you have 10 for varsity and

ten for JV,” Kuhns said. “Yeah, weak talent

will come with all of the people. “Tennis is

a really fun sport. It’s a sport where you get

to hang out with friends. I really hope ten-

nis continues to grow in Dexter,

even though I will be leaving

this year, considering I am a senior.”

McAuliffe sees the benefits of the record

participation this year. He said, “I think it’s

a great thing that all these people are play-

ing.”

Sports 9Friday, May 1, 2009

Senior Scott Crompton was looking for-

ward to baseball season. When it came to the

final decisions of who made the team, a wave

of relief crashed over Crompton knowing

he had made it. The happiness faded, how-

ever when Crompton was told he wouldn’t be

starting and his playing time would be cut.

Crompton responded by quitting. Senior

Andy Whitaker soon followed with the same

decision.

Whitaker said he was surprised to find his

playing time was cut. “When it came down to

the coaches making cuts, they told me I was

going to be a relief pitcher, and I wouldn’t

be playing as much,” he said. “They told me

there were juniors that were faster than me,

and they could hit better.”

The coaches were also surprised when

Whitaker made his decision. “They wanted

me to be a good leader for the younger play-

ers, but I felt that I couldn’t be a good leader

without being able to play on the field,” he

said. “My coaches made the decision. I feel

like I worked hard to deserve it, but the

coaches had to do what they felt was best for

the team.”

Whitaker also said the other players on the

team were upset when they heard he was go-

ing to quit. “They were disappointed because

we are all friends.” He said. “It would have

been nice to play with them my senior year,

but they understand my reason for quitting.

Now looking at how the season panned out, I

am glad I quit. It would have been fun play-

ing with my friends for my senior year, but

I wouldn’t have liked sitting on the bench a

lot of the time. I am having a lot of fun on

the track team and with all my friends on the

team.”

Only two seniors remain on the team,

Steven Zalucha and Mike Clutterbuck, and

they’re both leading the team this year.

Junior Alex McMurray is one of the 10 ju-

nior players on varsity this year and said he

understands his coach’s decision.

“I understand, but not everyone does,”

McMurray said. “Our coach is very old school.

This was unfortunate. I would have liked all

the senior leadership. It would have been fun,

but we all have to accept it and move on.”

Although the team will be playing without

Steve Grafton, Crompton, Whitaker and Jor-

dan Rodriguez, the team is working hard to

perform their best.

About 60 players tried out for baseball

this year and Berklich said, “Making cuts are

always extremely hard.”

Although most seniors aren’t playing on

the team this year, Berklich said he has faith

in the two seniors who are still on the team.

“Both seniors are strong pitchers,” he said. “I

believe this will be a big year for them.”

Berklich doesn’t seem worried about hav-

ing a young team either. “They’re young and

learning,” he said. “Alex McMurray is a front

line pitcher and Henry Haley is a great hitter.

I expect a great year out of them.”

Haley, a junior, said he was

shocked when he found

out some of his team-

mates decided to quit.

“I would have stayed,

but if they don’t like

the sport enough, they

can decide and do

what they want

to do.” Haley

said. “Coach

gave the

players the op- t ion

to stay on the team or not,

and they didn’t.”

Despite the older players

quitting the team, Berklich has

found the missing key to success

with the younger players who have

stuck around. “Lately, the younger

players are always getting better, and

the competition is getting

stiffer. Players that play all

year round keep improv-

ing,” he said. “We’re

working very hard,

and I’m excited.”

Murphy HansenStaff writer

Tucker WhitleyStaff writer

!"#$"% &'()( * +"#$ $, -./012/

8015 Huron Street

(734)426-1990

Go Dreads!

Supports You

Come for all your

School needs

Laura WhitleyHair Designer

3905 Jackson Road

Ann Arbor, MI 48130

Phone (734)668-0203

Photo by Rachel Detloff

Dealing with crowding: Junior Katie Frauhammer gets ready to serve. Frankenhour has played all three years

and is one of the players forced to deal with issues related to record numbers of players on the tennis team.

Photo courtesy of the Zalucha family

When he was young: Senior Steven Za-

lucha, pictured in his younger days,

is one of two seniors left on the base-

ball team after some teammates quit

because of lack of playing time.

Page 10: 0809-8

As time goes on, people change. Sometimes it’s for the bet-ter, and sometimes it’s for the worse. There have always been cliques among students and there always will be. When we were in middle school there were two groups: skater kids and preps.

That didn’t seem to last too long, but when it ended, more cliques started to form and fashion seemed to be changing rapidly. “Goths” seemed to be taken over by the new and improved “emo” crowd, and most of the preps changed into “gangstas,” if you will.

I am not sure if some of these students are confused, or they are completely aware of how they act. Just for clarifi cation, the D-town we live in may be spelled similar to Detroit but is far from it. We don’t have as many gangs and violence as De-troit, although, we do have a Dairy Queen. Don’t get it mixed up with the hood. Our community is close to, if not exactly, 99 percent Caucasian and for the most part, fairly wealthy.

I know times are hard for most families, and the economy is struggling. But that doesn’t mean you live in a rough neigh-borhood or that you need to prove your gangsterness. Just because you listen to Lil’ Wayne and wear a fi tted hat, doesn’t mean you are hood. You still live in Dexter, which last time I checked, was a small farming community that stretches about fi ve miles and smells like manure 50 percent of the time.

But I guess I can kind of understand where you are coming from. It’s tough growing up as a middle to upper class white citizen in America.

I never wear fl at billed hats, but I don’t have a problem with them. They just aren’t my cup of tea, but for some reason they make people feel as if they are as hood as the rappers on the radio.

And some even believe people will be bumpin’ to their rhymes on the radio some day. But just because you try to dress like these rappers, doesn’t mean you can rap like them.

And many people seem to think it’s cool to drive around in their nice cars their parents bought for them and “spit” rhymes about their challenging lives growing up in Dexter.

I’m not sure if these fi tted hats give a person the power to spit or not, but I might have to try it out.

Another thing that has changed is how people talk. This also must be a side effect of wearing fi tted hats and listening to rap music, but everyone seems to be talking “ghetto”. If you have lived in Dexter your whole life, I don’t know how you adapted these habits. But I feels you dawg. I am just trying to understand why you be actin’ hard and s - - -, dawg. It’s not the language that bothers me. It’s the person who does not fi t the language. Some people need to stay the same as they have been their whole lives. Change is not always for the better.

The next time you look in the mirror of your nice house located in Dexter, remember you aren’t that hood. And just because you listen to rap music and try to dress all hood, you live in a suburb of Detroit. And most people don’t view Dexter as D-town

Columns10Friday, May 1, 2009

It’s a great day to be

a Dreadnaught

Scott CromptonEditor in chief

Brent Museget involved editor

Change is not always

for the better

You might be a Dexter High School student if ...

•You hate Chelsea.•You have ever come across a fresh, steamy, perfect-ly-shaped, unadulterated turd in the elevator.•You have taken part in receiving an extensive oral beating about who have zero integrity and about how you will never do anything with your life.•You usually weep after most Friday nights in the fall.•You have seen your own refl ection in the opaque glossy fi nish of Assistant Principal Tim Authier’s head.•You have taken part in a shaving cream fi ght.•You have been hit in the head with a bouncy ball during lunch.•You have witnessed an awe-inspiring girl fi ght.•You have had to hold your breath on your way to school because the smell of manure is overwhelm-ing.•You have wondered what the hell is on your school walls when you walk to lunch each day.•You have given Connie a hard time.•You have shaken your head while watching trucks being parked reverse style.•You send your friends pictures of your bowel move-ments.•You have shuddered at the sight of math teacher Randy Swoverland.•You have been turned to stone by “the stare”.•You are white.•You were part of the #1 student section in the SEC.•You attempted to get the teen rapping sensation Scooter Smiff to come to your school.•You have tried to go to prom with a girl from some crappy country radio station.•You have been the victim of sexism in the class-room.•You have gotten a picture of some naked freshman girl.•You have wondered why you’re being treated like a 4-year-old in gym class.•You have had a principal that looks like former sec-retary of state Condaleeza Rice.•You have blasted “Rockin’ the Suburbs” and sang along.•You have been in an awkward situation while walk-ing by a couple sucking face when no one else is in the hall.•You have gotten a singing cow thrown at you while asleep in class.•You have been video taped starting a food fi ght.•You throw in a big, fat, juicy, delicious chew in the bathroom before, after and during class.•You have ever yelled, “Git-r-done!”•You have gotten a “hall shot.”•You have gotten a “greenhouse shot.”•Your principal is addicted to caffeine.•You have resorted to the, “Win or lose, we still booze” chant at the end of sporting games.•You have screamed along to “Hey baby” no matter how many points your team is down.•You are related to the majority of the school dis-trict.•You have watched “Hellmaster.”•You know that Amendment 22 is two terms for the president.•You know it takes two taps to turn on the projector.•You have experienced greatness.•You are a senior and gets to be paraded around the halls on the last day of school like a bunch of cattle.

Dearest Administration,

The Squall is $3,000 in debt. We cannot even afford to print our next issue.

You may be shocked, perhaps even appalled, at this staggering figure. However, let

me explain to you how such a landmark student newspaper became so incredibly

indebted.

First and foremost, our spending over the past few years may be described as less

than responsible. We have made numerous poor investments, such as out-sourc-

ing reporters to rural India, printing on thin plastic for a more durable feel (which

did not work out, turns out plastic doesn’t fold well), and giving our editors each a

$500K bonus for each of our Pacemakers.

But, despite our dark past, there is hope for this paper and for this school (be-

cause let’s face it, you need us). I have detailed an in-depth Squall Recovery Plan

and need only a small portion of the recent bond (a quaint $3M).

You may be concerned with how all the money will be used, and how I plan on

saving this paper, but do not worry, I have it all under control. Please, bail us out.

1) First, $200K will be needed immediately, effective tomorrow. This portion of

the money will go towards boosting the morale of our investors. I plan to take our

yearly sales and subscriptions, multiply them by three, and post them on the In-

ternet. This will surely prompt our stockholders to buy like crazy. I realize we are a

student newspaper, not an actual corporation, and do not have real investors, but

you’re missing the point. This is America.

2) The next step will take $500K, which will be used to grant to each of our senior

editors a full-ride scholarship to the university of their choice. If you say this is ir-

responsible spending, I have but one question for you: why do you hate learning?

(But seriously, this is the least important of all the steps. If you have to cut this one

to give us the rest of the money, then go for it. I don’t think any of us are going to

college anyway).

3) Detroit Red Wings Playoff tickets *

4) Next, we need another $200K to improve our image to the public. After the in-

famous money-burning festival of 2003, some people might think we’re economi-

cally irresponsible. That’s why I will use this portion of the money to hire Jim Cra-

mer to come hold up a bunch of graphs and statistics that somehow prove we’re not

actually in debt, and everyone will love us again.

5) $100K for me.

6) The sixth and final step requires the largest portion of money, $1M. This is the

most crucial step to our recovery, and I even gave it a cool name, “The Student Ap-

preciation Grant”. To finalize The Squall’s triumphant return to glory, we need one

million dollar bills. I’ll gather the money in Louis Vutton bags, get together with my

fellow editors, and disappear to the roof of the school. Then, we wait. Once the final

bell rings on the last day of school, we’re going to make it freaking rain. A million

dollars in singles, pouring from the sky onto the heads of Dexter students, each bill

with “courtesy of The Squall” written on it in gold ink. If you’re worries that this is

too extravagant, that it is simply too over-the-top, you are obviously ignorant to the

finer points of capitalism. Let me clue you in on a little secret: it all trickles down.

Literally. The wasted money trickles down onto the ground, people pick it up and

somehow everyone spends excessively for decades without any repercussion.

*The playoff tickets were not included in the bottom line, nor are they necessary

for reviving The Squall. Just throw me a bone here.

So there it is, our best chance for recovery. Money is tight, but we are prepared

to make sacrifices. We have already cut our budget for military defense spending

by almost 4 percent! (Yes, we spend money on military defense. Free speech ain’t

free). With your money, we can make it.

If you have any questions about The Squall Recovery Plan, or if you’re wondering

why $1M is still unaccounted for, please forward all questions to my secretary, be-

cause by the time you read this I will be in Fiji on an all-inclusive vaca- er, business

trip. Thank you for all the support (money) and concern (money) you have given

to The Squall.

Sincerely,

Alexander R. Everard

Managing Editor

P.S.

As a last resort, our adviser, Rodney Satterthwaite, is prepared to step down in re-

turn for a $1.6M retirement package. OK, fine, $1M and a Lambo. Take it or leave

Help bail out The Squall

Alex Everard managing editor

Page 11: 0809-8

Editorial 11Friday, May 1, 2009

Arts and communication, business management, health

services, industrial services and cosmetology are all part of

the consortium program at Saline High School where stu-

dents who already have some idea of what they want as an

occupation can get a head start and learn specific knowledge

in that area.

There should be more courses like these offered to stu-

dents.

As opposed to sitting at a desk all day to learn, Consor-

tium is a hands-on way to learn, and we don’t have many

course offerings for students who learn better hands-on.

The way high school is set up is not fair for kids who learn

this way. More consortium classes would mean more kids

would succeed with the opportunity to learn a way that is

best for them. Leading to more kids getting jobs to support

themselves.

Also, many of these programs offered through con-

sortium are in growing fields that give people a much bet-

ter chance of getting a job when they graduate. With the

economy and the job market as they are now, it is important

people get the right education in areas that offer more jobs.

In addition most of the consortium programs fields have

good salaries.

Also, there should be more connection between school

at Dexter and consortium elsewhere. For example, the kids

in business management or marketing could help run the

school store so they could apply their knowledge,

Consortium can be an expensive program to run

because of transportation issues though.

Also, some students in programs

like cosmetology and nursing provide

their own transportation so with bad

weather, some parents lean away to al-

lowing their kids to drive to places like Milan or

Saline.

But students should be responsible

enough to get to where they need to be on

time. And according to Assistant Principal

Tim Authier, there haven’t been any issues with

kids getting it more car accidents while driving to con-

sortium than driving to school.

Some form of consortium should be offered to

the underclassmen as well. Ninth and tenth graders

are not offered consortium so students who could suc-

ceed better in an alternative learning environment could

benefit from this in their first years of high school.

Consortium benefits many students, and it is a positive

alternative learning program that many students get a lot

out of. Encouraging more consortium will only help benefit

the students here.

THE

Dear Editor,

I like the Squall, especially the fun

and thought- provoking opinion col-

umns. Unfortunately, the last couple

of months The Squall has run two

negative and condescending columns

by Brittany Martini.

Yeah, the columns are controver-

sial, and that’s a good thing; it gets

people talking. The problem is that

Brittany’s columns are negative, in-

sulting and hypocritical.

I read Dave Pisano’s classic “Emo”

column two years ago that caused

a lot of social unrest at our school. I

thought it was great.

A key difference between Brittany’s

“Gray Blob” and Pisano’s “Emo” col-

umn was that Pisano was just poking

fun while Brittany attacked people.

Pisano criticized people for their

negative attitudes toward other peo-

ple. Brittany attacks the way people

dress. Brittany, if you are trying to

anger people, you are doing a good

job, but don’t make a fool of yourself

in the process.

And what makes you feel the need

to criticize people for the way they

dress anyway? Sure, maybe you don’t

like some of the styles in our school,

but maybe those people do.

It is absolutely unnecessary for you

to dictate what other people should

wear, because if they did what you

told them to, that would be losing

their individuality, not making a de-

cision to wear the clothes they like,

even if the “managing editor” of The

Squall doesn’t like it.

I believe people’s actions and atti-

tudes toward others are what makes

them better or worse people.

So if you need an idea for your next

column, maybe you should write one

about why you actually are a better

person than the two girls walking in

the hall.

And since according to you they

have taken over the halls, you could

title it something like, “Why I’m Bet-

ter Than You.” It would go well with

your two other superiority columns.

I’m not endorsing conformity, nor

am I condemning individuality. All

I’m asking is, “Who gave you the right

to judge other people?”

Your fi rst column said, “Don’t judge

me before you know me.” Yet here

you are being a hypocrite, judging

other people for following a different

trend that you don’t like.

Do you really think being the future

editor of The Squall makes you supe-

rior and gives you the right to judge

other people? Not only that, but then

you also act as if you deserve an ex-

emption from being judged too.

It’s not that I think that there is

anything wrong with what you like or

how you think.

Maybe you should just take a chill

pill and stop worrying about how oth-

er people dress. Why don’t you just

leave their decisions to them and your

decisions to yourself?

I hope you learn something about

accepting people who are different

from you. If you don’t, it will be very

sad.

Sincerely,

Nico Warden, junior

Nico WardenJunior

Dear Editor,

First of all, Kristi Hughes, when did the

world revolve around your happiness?

You say you didn’t want to “come off

stuck up or mean”…? I was angry when

I read your article (“The Dilema: to give

or not to give” in the last Squall), but I

mainly felt sorry for you because of your

ignorance of the homeless.

The man you looked down on, who

happened to be such a burden to you

on the sidewalk, is so far above you in

his knowledge of reality and deserves so

much more respect. Many people with

adequate incomes suffer from alcohol or

drug addictions.

The only difference between them

and the homeless who may also suffer, is

that they have both enough money and

resources to overcome the addiction, or

they have enough money to live a mod-

erate to wealthy lifestyle with the addic-

tion.

I agree there are “other ways to help

the homeless without giving them mon-

ey,” however there is no justifi able reason

to stereotype or judge a person or the life

they lead. If I were you, I’d concern my-

self with issues that fall closer to home,

such as factual underage drinking and

drugs that we all knows goes on.

How can you and others that agree with

you, as a student of a high school that has

issues with drugs and alcohol, so harshly

judge another that you don’t even know

the facts on? According to the National

Coalition for the Homeless, homeless-

ness happens for a number of reasons, a

few being: “stagnant or falling incomes,”

“less secure jobs with fewer benefi ts,”

being poor (many people don’t receive

enough income to provide for basic needs

let alone their rental or mortgage, which

as we all know, is evident by the many

foreclosures), “lack of affordable health

care,” “domestic violence,” “mental ill-

ness,” and “addiction disorders.”

There used to be SRO housing (single

room occupancy housing), which provid-

ed housing at a low cost to poor individu-

als, possibly affl icted with mental illness

or substance abuse. However, almost all

of them have been eliminated. According

to the Michigan Coalition Against Home-

lessness, “thirty three percent of home-

less families are working,” seventy seven

percent of families are homeless due to a

lack of affordable housing,” and “one out

of three homeless persons is a child.”

They, like the NCH, contribute home-

lessness to a “lack of affordable hous-

ing,” “debt and/or lack of income,” “dis-

abilities,” and a “lack of employment or

underemployment in the economy” (as

we all know there currently is). Those

are simply a few of the many facts I could

fi nd.

I hope you read further into them for

your own benefi t. Thank you for your

time.

Here are some additional resources

about homelessness:

“What you need to know about home-

lessness in Michigan…” Michigan Co-

alition Against Homelesness. 2007. 27

March 2009. <www.michiganhome-

less.org> . “Why Are People Homeless?”

National Coalition for the Homeless.

2008 June. 27 March 2009. <www.na-

tionalhomeless.org/publication/facts/

why.html>.

Sincerely,

Meghan Brown, senior

Meghan BrownSenior

CCOONN

PPRROO

March Mad-

ness is a magical

time that only

comes around

once every year.

The most talented

65 college basketball teams in the country

battle it out to determine who the best team

in the country is. Some people decide to fi ll

out brackets in attempt to the predict the

tournament, which is great fun. How many

points can you get? How many games can

you predict right?

But gambling on basketball? That’s ille-

gal. How wrong is this? It ruins the sport.

Can people not have fun and enjoy watching

a sport without the exciting thrill of gam-

bling? The rush that you get when you re-

alize the team that you called for the upset

is winning. I’ve heard it just doesn’t get any

better than that, but I’ll never know because

I have morals.

Gambling is an addiction that can ruin

people’s lives, even though people may say,

“Oh, it’s just brackets. I won’t get addicted.”

Next thing you know, you’re stranded in

Vegas, down 50 grand, with the loan sharks

after you because you were just waiting for

your big hit.

It makes me sick that this type of gam-

bling is happening here at Dexter High

School. The people who are involved

should be ashamed. Anyone who would

lower themselves this far, needs a new di-

rection in their life.

Here is how it could happen. You will

start out with bracket gambling, and the

worst thing that will happen is that you will

win. Then you will move onto many bigger

and better games. Win some and lose some.

Then you’re in with the wrong crowd. Your

best friend is a 6 foot 8 man named Tiny

who takes care of people for you.

Then you sit back, stop and wonder,

“What have I done with my life?” I’ll tell

you. You participated in the Dexter High

School March Madness bracket, and now

you’re a thriving criminal.

The sad truth to this all is that gambling

is an addiction, even though it may seem as

harmless as a high school bracket group, it

can escalate very quickly. So next year make

your bracket and enjoy. Just don’t gamble

on it.

It’s the last minute of

the game, and your team

is down by two. The ball

gets inbounded. You get

off your seat. A screen

is set and a three-pointer

is launched. The buzzer

sounds, and it’s the last

shot of the game. You

hear the sweetest sound

in the world, leather

hitting nylon.

One of your teams just

won, and you’ve moved

one step closer to winning

with your bracket.

There is nothing like

the thrill of the NCAA

tournament. The thing

that magnifi es this all

is everyone making

brackets. If you have a

bracket, there is always

someone you’re rooting

for. This is especially the

case if money is on the

table.

With the tournament

you pick upsets, 16s, Elite

Eights, Final Fours and, of

course, the winner of the

national championship.

Each stage of the

tournament is exciting

and seeing how your

bracket unfolds compared

to what really happens

can be disappointing or

extremely awesome.

It’s way more thrilling.

If you just make a bracket

to see how well you do,

it can be fun, but who

do you get to brag to if

your bracket turns out

to be really good? Your

experience with the

tournament will be a lot

better if you bet on it.

Ian McCarthy

staff writerAaron Gilman

staff writer

Letters to the

Illustration by: Gabe Altomare

Page 12: 0809-8

Photostory12May 1, 2009

Dexter sophomore Caci Dish-

man catches and passes a Pinkney runner during

the 400 relay

Freshman Alani Letang lands

during the long jump event.

Rob Kolander, a Saline senior, runs down the

fi eld for the Dexter Devils as his teammates and opposing

players follow close behind.

Senior Kyle Boren leads the Dexter Devils rugby team in a scrum during a recent match against Howell.

Dexter defeated Howell 73-6 in their fi rst match of the season.

Senior Petey Washabaugh

tackles a Howell player running with the ball. This is

Washabaugh’s second season playing rugby.

Junior Jordan

Jack puts the ball.

Sophomore Eric Macki lines up his put, making

sure he is aware of the dips, slants and divets in the green before he

puts.

Senior Josh

Abbot takes

his mark before

a race. “My mind is

always going out of control

before a race,” Abott says.

PhotostoryPhotostory

springspringspringspringspringspringsportsy

fi eld for the Dexter Devils as his teammates and opposing

y

fi eld for the Dexter Devils as his teammates and opposing

players follow close behind.

y

players follow close behind.

bg

uR

You will always see Frank McAuliffe in the pro shop by 7 a.m. He has many things to do: restock merchandise, run the shop, teach lessons to beginning golfers and play in a senior mens league.

When McAuliffe is done with all of his work and it’s time to go home, the clock reads 8 p.m.

In the summer at Ann Arbor Country Club, this is a normal day for McAuliffe. Sometimes he even has to at-tend meetings for the Michigan PGA because he is a board member.

To add to his busy schedule, he has to run tournaments at the club or even compete in one himself.

McAuliffe has been a professional golfer for 32 years. If you don’t believe it, look at his resume.

“I’m going to play until I stop competing, and right now, I feel I can compete with them,” McAuliffe said. “With the young guys getting better, I can still play in senior events and compete very well.”

He placed second in the Michigan Open and has had many other tour victories in his career.

But what motivates McAuliffe? What keeps his com-petitive edge even as he grows older? “I play the game to compete,” he said. “When you’re in the position to win, why wouldn’t you take full advantage of it. I think that is why everyone plays the game: to win.”

Numerous top 10 fi nishes have made McAuliffe one of the premier golfers in Michigan which has also led to a

sponsorship.TaylorMade and Adidas sponsor McAuliffe and actu-

ally pay him to play golf and promote their products. McAuliffe is given products early to demo them before the public is allowed to even test them out.

But there’s another side to McAuliffe many people do not know about. Behind the sponsored golf guru is a charitable man who believes in helping out the commu-nity and a family man.

From September through May, McAuliffe travels to inner-city Detroit to help teach and introduce kids to golf. The program is called Midnight Golf and is sponsored by the United States Golf Association, (USGA), and the PGA of America.

McAuliffe is a coach different from many other football, basketball and baseball coaches. Instead of coaching an entire team at once, his job is to coach kids individually on their swings.

This year with 45 kids on the team, it’s hard to coach each one individually. “I feel that it’s great that 45 kids play because it promotes the game,” he said. “However, the downside is that it’s hard for me to individually coach each player on his game so some kids might feel left out.”

Regardless, McAuliffe said he feels obligated to teach each player up to his full potential. The problem is that there are so many players.

Junior Tony Ceccolini, varsity golfer, feels that McAu-liffe is very inspirational in many ways. “Coach is some-one to look up to, not just for golf, but for many other things in life.”

Senior Jordan

Markins follows through in his

shot, watching the ball.

David LaMore

staff writer

Photos by Lauren D

augherty