12.18.2009 haslett high school 5450 marsh road haslett mi 48840 volume 15 issue 4

Costly crimesby calla VAN ATTA

see Stealing page 2

The bell rings and the lunchroom quickly fills with a stampede of hungry students, eager to squeeze the most time out of the 30-minute period. In the midst of the routine commotion, a student snatches a candy bar from the shelf and slips it into a sweatshirt pocket.

Powerade = $1.75 X 30 Stolen a day X 5 Days a week= -$262.50

photo illustration byandrew BEAUMAN

2 December 18, 2009 news

State budget crisis threatens programs

The recent state budget cuts are something that have both teachers and students worrying. These cuts could affect everything from busing to the quality of classes in the Haslett school district.

In September, Michigan legislators projected a $125 per student cut in state aid. The Haslett Board of Education took this news and devel-oped a plan to make $300,000 in budget cuts. A month later, legislators moved to increase the reduction to $165, a cut that was approved on Dec. 10. An additional proposed $127 cut is expected to be avoided due to the state col-lecting more money in commercial taxes than expected.

While there are currently no official cuts, many teachers, especially those involved with the elective programs, are concerned for the funding of their programs. Art teacher Nick Stanko admits that both he and art teacher Rhonda Sherwin have been fortunate with their classes and hope to keep them growing. Expanding the programs and continuing to buy supplies may be difficult with a potential funding shortage.

“We will definitely make a case for what we need,” Stanko said.

Sherwin added that in the 10 years she has been working at Haslett, the supply budget for all teachers has already decreased by at least $900. The art classes require a supply fee from the students so that items such as paints and clay can be purchased.

“We haven’t raised the supply fee because we want to keep kids coming,” Sherwin said.

Sherwin is concerned that with less money,

fewer supplies can be bought. Without supplies there is no class and, ultimately, no job.

Choir teacher Erich Wangeman worries about the detrimental impact the downsizing could have on the choir program.

“I’m more concerned about the effect the budget cuts will have on the students if they don’t have a quality music experience,” Wange-man said.

To have a worthwhile experience, there needs to be funding for uniforms and transpor-tation to festivals as well as money for buying the music itself. Wangeman fears that if fund-ing is cut from choir, students will not have these essentials.

Junior Lyndsay Manson is nervous about choir’s future as well.

“We talk about it pretty much every day in choir,” Manson said. “Some people want to go into music as their career and without choir...nothing.”

An increased enrollment of students in the school district may help relieve the situation.

“We had an additional forty-some students that helped balance out any deficit we might have,” superintendent Michael Duda said.

The boosted population helps because the district gets funding on a per-student basis. However, Duda said that if the cuts pass, things such as extracurriculars and busing could be affected. The cuts are ultimately decided by the board of education, but the board is open to input from staff and community.

“There are all kinds of decisions that will need to be made by the community in terms of priorities,” Duda said.

This is just one of the methods students use to steal from the cafeteria. Lunchroom employ-ee Brigid Gentile said she finds empty french fry containers left behind on the shelves after students have emptied the containers onto their trays – two for the price of one. Students have also been caught eating or drinking items before they pay, which is considered stealing even if the student intends on paying.

As for the amount of food stolen, students would be surprised to hear what the dollar amount adds up to.

“It’s more than what you think,” associate principal Darin Ferguson said.

In mid November, Gentile and the rest of the cafeteria staff took inventory of the candy and drinks before both lunches, and again after both lunches and found a huge discrepancy.

“Almost $100 in one day....which is some-one’s wages, and that was really just candy and drinks that we inventoried,” Gentile said.

Many students don’t realize the seriousness of the issue.

“It seems like a little problem, but it’s not....it’s very much a trickle-down situation,” Gen-tile said.

The stealing is beginning to affect school budgeting since cafeteria food is included in the budget, and profit from the food is partially utilized for paying employees.

The stealing also directly affects the students who buy school lunches.

“It affects all the student body because the prices go up,” Gentile said.

While some students choose to make bad decisions in the cafeteria, most agree that shop-lifting from the lunchroom is wrong.

“It’s not correct. Why would you steal from your own school?” junior Jonathon Caddy said.

Some students have witnessed other students snatching items while waiting in line. Senior Kathryn Bristor saw a student attempting to steal and told them to put the item back. She said students are stealing because they don’t want to wait in line.

“They are too lazy to buy stuff,” Bristor said.

Recently some measures have been taken in order to help put a stop to this growing prob-lem. Signs have been placed on the drink cool-ers warning students about the consequences of stealing. In addition, principals Bart Wegenke and Ferguson have been patrolling the lunch lines more closely by standing near the drink coolers and candy stands – the most frequently stolen items.

“We are more visible in there,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson and Wegenke aren’t the only ones on the lookout for shoplifting; Gentile has al-ready caught several students attempting to steal. One student attempted three times.

“The first time I catch them I usually just warn them, but the second time I am forced to get the administration involved,” Gentile said.

Students who are caught will face an au-tomatic in-school suspension. If the problem persists, guilty students will be forced to reim-burse the school.

“We don’t want to be militant and mean about it, but something has to be done,” Gen-tile said.

Stealing from page 1

Volunteer stands outside of store ringing a bell for donations to the Salvation Army

photo by taylor PARKER

by cassandra STASZUK

Time for givingWalking up to Wal-Mart, it

may be surprising to hear peo-ple singing Christmas songs since there aren’t many people who would choose to sing in front of a store in the freezing snow.

Salvation Army volunteer Michael Harris sings in front of Wal-Mart to bring happi-ness to the customers and to encourage them to donate money. The money then goes toward helping people who are struggling financially.

Simply ringing the bell just doesn’t do it for Harris and many people enjoy his spirit. “It’s a good job, and it’s for a good cause,” Harris said. “I do it every holiday season.”

Although he’s seen a small decline in donations, Harris still has seen many people contribute to the cause.

“Many people are still be-ing generous,” Harris said.

“Some lady just today donated $50 to me.“

Trying to be a good person can be time-consuming but the American Red Cross is working to ease that burden.

According to www.redcross.org, the organization sees less blood donations due to people having a more hectic sched-ule than normal during the holiday season. It has tried to make the blood-donating pro-cess easier by allowing people to set up appointments on its website.

“In just about an hour, you can help make the difference between life and death,” the website said.

Some volunteers don’t have to look that far to give back. Senior Sam Sohn came early to school one day to attend a Key Club meeting and has since become a regular mem-ber. Sohn recently helped make Christmas cards with the club to send to Burcham

Hills and hand out to the el-derly people who live there.

She joined because she likes helping people. It’s not that hard to volunteer with the club either.

“A lot of events don’t last that long and we only have one to two a month,” Sohn said. “More people should join because we’re asked to do a lot so it would help to have more people helping.”

by jenny LITTLE

For those who want to try ringing a bell or maybe belting out some tunes for a good cause, call the Salvation Army at (517) 482-9715 to volunteer.

3 December 18, 2009 opinion

Christmas lists started in mid-October, the tree went up early November and Christmas music played throughout the house a week before Thanksgiving.

Christmas was our family’s favorite holiday. Our lives were changed during the time spent preparing to celebrate. Every-thing we did was happier and

cheerier because the holidays brought so many great things.

For every holiday, our family would gather together at my grandma’s house where she’d cook an extravagant meal of homemade buttery mashed potatoes, savory honey-baked ham and endless desserts, every single time. There was no minimum for that woman. It was always the best it could ever be.

Christmas presents came in the dozens. We all got exactly what we wanted, and every time we would wonder how it was possible. I still don’t know how my grandma found that pink and white dollhouse with a matching convertible for my Bar-bie dolls. Come hell or high water, my grandma would go to the ends of the earth to get us everything we wanted on our Christmas lists. My parents would have to drive two cars to my grandma’s house just so we could fit all the presents on the way home.

by ali FOOTE

From better to worse: Christmas changes

STAFF EDITORIAL: Charity: The true gift of Christmas that always gives back

As cliché and cheesy as it may sound, charity is truly the gift that keeps on giving back. This winter break, make it your goal to make a differ-ence in someone else’s life.

The CREWViking Longboat staff

The Viking Longboat is a monthly publication of Haslett High School, 5450 Marsh Road, Haslett, MI 48840. It is published by the Newspaper Production class and Journalism class. The Longboat has been established as a student-run public forum circulated within the school and to subscribers in the community and outside the school district. The Longboat is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. The publication is a eight-time Spartan award winner and CSPA gold medalist. Letters to the editor are accepted at the discretion of the editorial board. Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be published. Letters must be signed by the author and may be edited for grammar, spelling and style. Direct all questions to the Publications Room, Room 411.

editor-in-chief Emma Clauchertycopy editorElizabeth Youngphoto editor Taylor Parker graphics editorAndrew Beauman opinion editor Bailey McMillan

BC feature editorAli Footesports editorsJerry Eastwood & Lexis Guarnacciafeature editorHannah Nowicki ad managerMary Hilkeradvisers Julie Price & Jeremy Whiting

When the first snow arrives and the tempera-ture begins to drop, our minds shift from school and sports to the holidays. The holidays are a truly special time when families come closer to-gether, gifts are distributed and an aura of hope looms about the community.

But with the holiday festivities comes the inevi-table stress. The stress of finding the perfect gift for that special someone. The horrors of holiday shopping. And the endless hours of cooking and cleaning in preparation for the imminent arrival of relatives.

During this hectic time, it is easy for us to lose sight of the true meaning of the holidays: helping others.

In December, we seem to get such a bad case of the “gimmes” and we get so caught up with holiday stresses that we forget to focus on help-

ing others. We need to take the time to stop editing our wish lists and go donate some of our time to a more charitable cause.

The act of charity doesn’t require a lot of money or even a lot of time. Sometimes it’s the little things that make someone’s day, like shov-eling an elderly neighbor’s driveway or baking cookies for someone who is going through a rough time.

Oftentimes, the needier people in our community are overlooked. Spend an hour or two and help out in a soup kitchen. Or take time to clean out your closet and donate unused clothing. Both actions will make an impact.

It was magical. Some of the best memories I’ve ever had as a kid occurred at Christmas. I wish that every child in the world could experience the happiness that Christmas gave my brother,

sister and me.But apparently all good things come

to an end. I was 16 years old when my parents

divorced. It’s not one of those things that was a shock to all. Everyone saw it coming. My siblings and I had been try-ing to prepare for it for a long time. But when it came, it still hit like a full-speed semi-truck.

Our last Christmas spent together was in Florida, where we visited Walt Disney World and had Christmas with my family in the South. It was the worst

Christmas of my life. My parents had trouble making the best for us when they couldn’t enjoy it for themselves. Not even a glorious trip to Florida could cover the fact that our family was deteriorating. Christmas as we knew it had ended.

I consider my siblings and myself lucky not only for the luxu-ries we have had over the years, but for the heads that were put on our shoulders. We are a smart bunch and have been through a lot. We can handle anything together. But what was hardest on us these past few years was watching our family fall apart right in front of our eyes and not being able to do anything about it.

The first Christmas after the divorce was spent “with Dad.” After opening presents with my mom, we traveled to my grand-ma’s house, alone, and opened presents there. It wasn’t nearly the same without our mother there. Everyone was awkward around us, as if we were broken children. It was as if there was a large elephant in the room the whole time. I hated it.

No present in the world could ever replace the feeling that Christmas gave me when I was younger. And it’s hard to grasp the fact that things will never be the same.

It sickens me when I hear people complain about how they hate Christmas. Take your Scrooge-like opinion elsewhere. Christmas means something different to everyone, whether it is finally having a good meal, getting an extra holiday bonus in your paycheck or being able to give presents to loved ones. It’s simply wrong to rant about it negatively. You don’t hate Christ-mas. You hate what you have made of Christmas.

I feel selfish complaining about how my holidays have changed from better to worse, when some kids have never had a better holiday to reminisce about. I can only imagine struggling through the holidays to a point where I wonder what the meal will be at the soup kitchen. Christmas isn’t what people give you. It’s what you make of what people give you.

Don’t complain about having to see your family over the holi-days. I would give anything to bring my family back together. So please, don’t let me hear about your holiday complaints again. I’m sure there’s someone in this world besides me who would be willing to hit you over the head with an oversized candy cane.

”“ No present in the

world could ever replace the feeling

that Christmas gave me when I

was younger.

STAFF WRITERSAli AdkinsMeghan AndersonChris AndresenLiz BakerCourtney BlackMary BrownKelsea EllisKristen EverhardtAaron GroveShane Heston

Lauren HooperJake LampmanJenny LittleChris LounsberyJacob MeierKerry MorrisGabe Nester Zach ParkerChelsea RidenourLiz RingleinNick Rosenbery

Michael ShermanKat SmithJessica StanichCassandra StaszukMaggie TurneyCalla Van AttaCasey VanDenBergNick WakulskyKevin WilsonShelby WoodRebecca Wright

photo illustration byandrew BEAUMAN

4 December 18, 2009 opinion

Epic

Fail

by elora UNDERHILL

STORY BEHIND E V E R Y

SCARA photo illustration by

taylor PARKER

6 December 18, 2009 blue compass 7December 18, 2009

As the Eastside Stars high school hockey practice drags on, sophomore Jordan Scott races into the corner for the puck.He suddenly falls, slicing his knee on a fellow teammate’s skate. The practice continues, but Scott doesn’t realize he’s been injured until it’s over.

“It hurt, but I didn’t think it was that serious at first,” Scott said. After practice, his teammates got a closer look at the damage. A

thick gash spanning the width of his knee bled profusely. “Most of them just said ‘That’s nasty, that’s not good,’” Scott

said. When Scott returned home, he showed the injury to his parents. “They weren’t all that concerned,” Scott said. “My dad simply

said, ‘Yeah that’ll probably need a stitch or two.’ He wasn’t terribly concerned. It was my mother who was more worried.”

Fourteen stitches later and a gaping wound sealed, Scott returns to hockey after few weeks. He continues to practice with his team, playing the sport that first got him in the predicament.

But not long after his return, the newly closed hole tears again. After Scott allows it to heal once more, he heads back to the rink. To him, hockey is worth the risk of injury.

“It hasn’t really affected what I do now,” Scott said. “I keep playing exactly the way I used to.”

Now the cut has become a regular scar, a permanent reminder that often attracts attention from his peers.

“Friends ask a lot of questions and think it’s kinda gross,” Scott said.

While Scott doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him, he is willing to satisfy their curiosity.

“I don’t like sympathy, but people asking questions doesn’t make me mad,” Scott said.

Hockey player with more than just a story to tell

by lauren HOOPER

The one-inch horizontal scar on the left side of her chest doesn’t exactly speak for itself. The various guesses, ranging from a burn to a hickey, make senior Meagan Lesperance laugh. But Lesperance hasn’t always been light-hearted about her scar. Her feelings have changed greatly since she had the life-changing surgery in September 2007.

“I started crying because the tape over the incision looked higher and more visible then they told me it would be,” Lesperance said.

The external scar isn’t the only thing reminding Lesperance of the surgery. She now has an interal port IV that lies in a vein above her heart. The other end of the hollow tube connects with the disc-shaped port, which sits under the incision. After six PICC IV lines, inwcreasing risk for vein clots in her arm halted this frequent procedure. In Lesperance’s case, the next step was to get a circular port IV to receive medication.

“A port can last from six to 10 years,” Lesperance said. Without these ports, Lesperance would not be able to get the

numerous IV medications she needs to treat her disease. “I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when I was five and a half,

which is later than normal,” Lesperance said. This condition causes sticky mucus to cover the inside walls

of her lungs which makes it hard to breathe and also affects her digestive system.

“I go to the hospital for at least two to three weeks twice a year for treatments,” Lesperance said. Although useful for its longevity, Lesperance has to get the port flushed with solution once a month to keep it clean.

Immediately after the surgery, Lesperance was angry and scared of what people would think. But she has since learned to ignore the remarks.

“When people make ignorant comments to me about my scar, now I just blow it off and laugh,” Lesperance said.

The story behind her scar may be a mystery to the casual observer, but for Lesperance, it is both a permanent part of her body and a defining aspect of her life.

“I wasn’t OK with it at first, but now I feel like it makes me who I am,” Lesperance said.

by gabe NESTER

External scar is a reminder for life-long disease

It’s the first week of school and due to the warmer weather, ju-nior Quinn Wilson chose to wear burgundy sweater, gladiator shoes with funky earrings and shiny necklaces. All paired with khaki shorts. She ignores the glances and obvious stares because the deep scars that lie on her right thigh are nothing but a memory to her at this point.

“I used to be really self-conscious about them because they’re such large scars and people would stare at them all the time,” Wil-son said. “Now I wear what I want and don’t try to hide them.”

Wilson was born with her right leg shorter than her left by one and a half inches. For the first few years of her life, doctors as-sumed that the leg would eventually grow on its own. However, when Wilson reached the seventh grade, her right leg remained shorter than her left. Doctors established that surgery was required to lengthen her leg.

“The doctor said it would be the worst pain I would ever experi-ence in my life,” Wilson said. “And it was.”

The surgery required the doctors to go in and physically saw Wilson’s bone in half and place pins that were screwed in daily in order to lengthen her leg.

“It makes me nauseous just thinking about it,” Wilson said.After 11 months recovery with a required brace for walking, the

surgery left Wilson with even legs and a permanent scar.

Painful surgery makes for a permanent memoryby ali FOOTE

Many people have a scar somewhere on their body. Accompa-nying each mark is a story behind the incident. For some, it was a terrible traumatic event, such as a car accident or major injury. For others, it was a simple childhood mishap, which is exactly how senior Blake Damerow got his scar.

Damerow has a scar on his forehead, right between his eye-brows. It is not very big or very noticeable to most people. The scar looks like a little slash mark scratched permanently into his skin, but doesn’t seem to bother Damerow very much.

“I don’t mind it because I think it makes me look tough,” Dam-erow said.

When he was four years old, he slipped as he was getting out of the shower and hit his head on the toilet. Damerow remembers that it hurt a lot at the time.

“I remember getting right up to get a good look at it in the mir-ror,” Damerow said.

His parents took him straight to the doctor, but he did not need stitches and was simply patched up.

The story behind how Damerow acquired his scar isn’t serious, but it certainly left him with a lasting impression that is more than just a scar on his face.

“I’m more careful now when I come out of the shower,” Dam-erow said.

Simple slip leads to unforgotten memoryby nick WAKULSKY

The practice jerseys for the freshman football team had not been delivered yet, so the team just decided to play shirts against skins. Ryan Christman was a part of the skins team, playing tight end.

As practice went on Chrisman’s vision of the field began to deteriorate. Coach Rob Porritt threw a pass, he led Christman a little too far. Christman never notcied the orange fence that was directly in front of him, until he looked down at the last second and slid to get underneath the fence. Christman didn’t com-pletly clear the bottom of the fence and it cut across his left pectorial about three inches.

“I never really noticed it until Coach (Porritt) said somthing to me about it, then I figured I should go and get it checked out,” Christman said. Christman’s mother was worried sick about this incident because of the amount of blood. “She was reallly scared for me because it bled for like three hours,” Christman said.

Football scrimmage gets uglyby chris LOUNSBERY

photo by taylor PARKER

Junior Quinn Wilson’s surgery left many permanent scars on her legs. She no longer lets them bother her.

photo by taylor PARKER

The tip of a long, white scar pokes out from underneath sopho-more Laura Bone’s t-shirt. The scar begins at the top of her chest and continues all the way down to her stomach. Two other scars, one on her shoulder and one on her stomach, accompany the long gash. The scars have been part of Bone’s body since she was six months old.

“I had a heart defect when I was born,” Bone said. “I only had one big circle, instead of four chambers in my heart.” A normal heart has four chambers that circulate blood. Bone did not have a wall to separate the different chambers.

The large scar down her chest is the result of a surgery she had to undergo to fix her heart when she was just a baby.

“I have a pacemaker now, to keep my heart beating,” Bone said.

The scars on her shoulder and stomach are a result of the pacemaker. A pacemaker is a small device placed in the chest to help control abnormal heart rhythms. Bone is required to have surgery every three to four years to replace the pacemaker, along with annual check-ups.

Bone doesn’t feel self-conscious about the scar because she has lived with it her whole life. She doesn’t mind answering questions about it either and is even willing to joke about it.

“I tell funny stories like, ‘Oh I got stabbed’ when people ask me about it,” Bone said.

Heart defect leaves more than just a scarby liz BAKER

Every scar has a story, and for these students, their scars tell stories of pain, weakness and unforgettable memories.

A vivid, deep trench stretches from senior Bryan Rohroff’s elbow to his shoulder, forever marking the most painful day of his life. Holes line each side where countless stitches had laced his arm. This pitted crevasse is a souvenir from a painful skate-boarding accident and multiple surgeries attempting to fix it. Rohroff had been spending a typical afternoon skateboarding with a friend near his house in seventh grade. His friend approached him from behind and was about to give him a playful shove when suddenly the board tripped over a rock.

Rohroff went flying. He landed sideways with his full body weight crushing his elbow. “It was a whole new level of pain,” Rohroff said. His elbow shattered instantly. When he stood up, his forearm bent the opposite way, the bone jutting out beneath the skin.

“It didn’t break the skin. But, if bent more (the bone) would have come out,” Rohroff said. Initially, his friends thought he was just joking around, or trying to make them feel guilty.

“They laughed at first,” Rohroff said. “Then I got up and they realized the extent of it and they were shocked.”

The pain was excruciating as Rohroff clutched his dangling arm and quickly hurried home. “I held it in until I was in the door,” Rohroff said. “Then I cried like a baby.”

After the pain sent him into shock, he was rushed to the ER. “The 20-minute ride to Sparrow Hospital seemed like forever,” Rohroff said. “It felt like I had no elbow. There was a constant, strong, sharp, shooting pain. Anything that would even slightly move my arm would kill.” Because of the overwhelming pain, it took him over 30 minutes to move from his car to the ER wheel-chair.

He had a total of two surgeries, the first taking place that day. Both operations left him with two plates and 11 screws in his arm. One of the plates and four of the screws remain in his arm today. Rohroff spent three days in the hospital, three months in physical therapy and six months in a sling. Hovever, none of these com-pared to the initial pain. “The worst part of it was the pain from the actual break,” Rohroff said.

While the pain from the incident has since faded away, the ef-fects of permanent damage still linger today.

“When the seasons or weather change, I can feel it in my el-bow,” Rohroff said. “And it doesn’t feel good. It’s a sharp, shoot-ing pain.”

His right arm will also never fully extend again– it simply locks about halfway down. Because of this, his arms reach to different lengths. Despite these new restrictions, Rohroff loves his scar’s uniqueness. “It’s really big and you don’t see many scars like it,” Rohroff said.

The unusual scar often attracts attention from other people. The responses often range from admiration to disgust.

“Ridiculous, amazing, cool, gross – I get a lot of mixed reac-tions to my scar,” Rohroff said. “I love telling people wild sto-ries about how I got the scar – like being attacked by a shark.” Rohroff also hinted at liking the attention and reaction from girls. Although his gaping scar may make some cringe, he would not trade it for the world.

“I love it,” Rohroff said. “I would never want to get rid of it.”

A skateboarding disasterby meghan ANDERSON

photo by taylor PARKER

Sophomore Jordan Scott displays the scar on his knee.

Junior Ryan Chris-man shows off his scar proudly.

8 December 18, 2009 photo story

most wanted gifts TEN

photo story by TAYLOR PARKER

7days untilchristmas

8days until kwanza

Below: Seniors Kelly Schaibly and Kelly Hoinski get together to make

Christmas cookies at seniors Shelby and Torey Deimling’s house. Below right: To stay

warm during the season, senior Karah Ley sips on a Double Teddy Bear from Biggby’s.

Below: Freshman Macrae Ashwood hangs the ornaments on his brightly lit Christmas tree.

The Verizon Wireless Droid $199.99

Sony PlayStation 3 $299.99

Apple iPod Touch 8GB $199.99

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 $59.99

Canon Powershot 12.1 $199.99

Nintendo Wii$199.99

Flip Video UltraHD camera$199.99

Victoria’s Secret clothes $25-$69.50

Customize your own Nike Shox at Nike.com

Various Twilight gear at Hot Topic

9December 18, 2009 feature

The boys locker room is filled with the junior var-sity football team, all get-ting ready for a brutal day of practice. The rustling of pads and the clicking of cleats is interrupted by the low murmurs of two sopho-more boys in an argument.

Teammates Johnny LaRosa and Matt Lammers get in a playful yet semi-se-rious word fight.

“You’re so stupid,” LaRo-sa said.

Lammers looked at him and yelled out, “Care!”

LaRosa rolled his eyes and, in annoyance to the overused word, mocked back, “Chair!”

And so began the uproar of the word ‘chair’ in the sophomore grade.

“I hate that (word), it’s so dumb,” junior Anthony Parker said about the new addition, chair. “What’s the point?”

Starting with the seniors of 2009, the phrase start-ed as, ‘I care.’ After they graduated, the current se-niors revised it into “care,” and later, the sophomores changed it to “chair.”

Senior Kelsey Hirn hates it when people use “care” as well as “legit,” a word that made its teenage jar-gon debut this summer.

“I used them in the

WO

RD

VOM

IT

by kerry MORRIS

photo and photo illustration by

andrew BEAUMAN

beginning but people over-do it too much now,” Hirn said.

Along with this new frus-tration-inducing expres-sion, English teacher Steph-anie Livingston pointed out other terms students use that she cannot stand. Liv-ingston particularly hates when students use the term “LOL” in an actual sen-tence.

“Actually laugh out loud like a human,” Livingston said.

However, Livingston has picked up on past popular words and has found her-self using phrases such as “rattle” and “jacked up.”

“I’ve used ‘rattle’ to a student before,” Livingston said. “It makes sense.”

As shown by students like LaRosa and Lammers, teenagers seem to have an ever-expanding vocabu-lary. Each year brings a dif-ferent generation and op-portunities for new words and phrases to arise.

10 December 18, 2009 feature

by kat SMITH

“Rollerblades, because I never learned to skate. I believe they were from my parents.” -Joe Smith, sophomore

“[I got] a pin case for collecting pins and I don’t collect pins so it was random to me. It was from my grandpar-ents.” -Alex DeRose, junior

“The worst gift I ever got was a gift card. What made it so bad was when I went to use it, I found out it ex-pired three months before. It was from my old neigh-bors. I never told them.” -Lauren Ezzo, senior

“A beef jerky maker from my brother Max.” -Joshua Regan, junior

“[I got] a magnet of my name from my great aunt that was spelled wrong.” -Kelly Brown, junior

“I got a Barbie doll like three years ago. It was from my par-ents. They always joke around about what they’re getting me so they finally went to Toys R Us and got a Barbie doll (without Ken). I threw it away.” -Zach Bepler, soph-omore

“A book about organic food from my grandma. I think I was 14 and it was because we usually eat healthy so she wanted me to like organic food. I lost it in about an hour.” -Anthony Hodge, senior

“I got a can of spinach from my grandma. I was six [years old] and I asked her for Star Wars Legos and all I got from her was spinach, which I think is still in my pan-try.” -Neil Beukema, senior

photo and photo illustration by andrew BEAUMAN

by liz RINGLEIN and shelby WOOD

My Worst Gift Ever

Wrap -Up...the January 15th

Flight 1549 safely crashes in the Hudson River.

January 20thPresident Barack Obama is inaugurated into presidential office.

February 18thPhotos of Michael Phelps smoking mari-juana surface.

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ichigan State vs. N

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September 8th2009-2010 Haslett school year begins.

September 13thKanye West’s fallout with Taylor Swift over Video Music Awards.

September 14thPatrick Swayze’s death.

October 9thPresident Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Scoreboard

11 December 18, 2009 sportsClub volleyball: making it happen

How the Lions can be a winning team

by shane HESTON

Senior Robby Williamson never really played volley-ball until his sophomore year when he didn’t have a fifth hour class and vice principal Darin Ferguson put him in volleyball class. After playing that year, Williamson fell in love with the game.

“I joined the volleyball club because I have enjoyed vol-leyball since the tenth grade,” said Williamson. “We have some good people, but if we play as a team, we should be good.”

Many factors could prevent the club from forming but one concern dominates the rest.

“There could only be one problem,” Williamson said. “There might not be enough opponents for us to play.”

Another player interested in joining the club is junior Tim Stockwell.

“I want to be part of this

team because I’m good at vol-leyball,” Stockwell said.

The club will likely be di-vided into two teams. Stock-well said at least one of the teams will be very successful.

“The A team will be solid. But the B team, not so much,” Stockwell said.

Stockwell’s intense game play has him excited for the games and the tournaments. “I am very excited and hap-py...for the tournaments,” Stockwell said.

Gym teacher Patricia Terres is the creator of the club. She set up a volleyball meeting in early December to determine how many kids were interest-ed. 23 boys showed interest in joining.

Terres will be holding an-other meeting on Jan. 6 for any newcomers.

“As of right now, we’re in the baby steps of making this actually happen,” Terres said. photo by taylor PARKER

As time wound down for the Detroit Lions dur-ing the Pittsburgh Steelers game, it looked as if Detroit would score and possibly tie the game with a two-point conversion. There’s 1:54 left on the clock and Detroit is on the Pittsburgh 21-yard line. In 31 seconds, Detroit is sacked three times and loses 24 yards and ends up losing the game.

This is a normal situation for Lions football and fans are sick and tired of watching this kind of game play every year. I know I’m sick of watching them. Every Sunday I turn on the TV and watch. Usually,

they start off strong, having a touchdown or field goal in their first possession. And then things fall apart.

The sad thing is this hasn’t gone on for one or two years. This has gone on for almost eight years, nearly half my life. Since 2001, the Lions are a league worst 33-108. This has led to Detroit having 10 or more losses in seven of the past eight years and finishing last in the NFC North for five of the past eight years, soon to be six of nine.

But as big as these problems are, the main reason for their failure is on the front office for not drafting the franchise changing player and not spending any money to improve the team.

The first problem is with the draft. In the NFL, it is critical to build your team through the draft. Look at the best teams in the league (Colts, Saints and Vikings) and you’ll notice most of the players on their team are players the team drafted. From 2002 to 2006, the Lions have drafted 39 players. Of those 39, only two play-ers remain on the roster. During that period, the Lions had five first round picks and Sims is the only one that remains from that time. Also, Detroit hasn’t realized that offense isn’t the way to win cham-pionships. Since 1999, Detroit has had 14 first round draft picks and

“Got a lot of talent. A lot back in the conference. Lots of good competition in the area.”

- David Kaye, senior“[The season] is going great. We are improving every game and we are going up.”

- Jessica Tyrer, sophomore

“We should be really good; we want to go to states and win.”

- Taylor Mitchell, senior

“Should come out as league champs. Dual Meet-wise we should be undefeated.”

- Peter Sherman, junior

“[Our season] will be decent, once we get our starters back. But our practices and determination are good.”

- Brian Norris, senior“It’s nice to have a full team again, now we just have to start working better together.”

- Josh Headley, senior

“I wanted to make this club because of all the interest in my class.”

Terres has had success in the past. A couple years ago, she led her volleyball squad to second place in a Michigan tournament.

“We won a quite large tro-phy,” Terres said. “We still have this trophy to this day.”

Two years ago, Terres tried to set up a team but was un-successful. “I sent emails to schools in the area and they never got back to me on it,” Terres said.

Terres has an ideal plan for the volleyball club, but has a back-up in the event that the first one doesn’t pan out.

“Plan A is finding people who would want to play in the tournaments. Then finding the opponents to play against,” Terres said. “If that doesn’t work, we go to plan B, which is just intramurals.”

12 of those picks were picked on the offensive side of the football. As you can see, the results have proven to be awful.

After the draft woes for Detroit, another problem is its unwill-ingness to spend money in free agency-where hundreds of players are free to sign with the team of their choice-to improve their team. Look at the team’s history from year to year and you’ll see the big names they bypassed. In 2006, the Lions didn’t make an effort to sign quarterback Drew Brees. During the 2007 season, Detroit didn’t make offers to linebackers Adalius Thomas, London Fletcher and Joey Porter and cornerback Nate Clements. In 2008, The Lions didn’t attempt to go for offensive guard Alan Faneca, cornerback Asante Samuel or running back Michael Turner. During this off-season, after the Lions finished last in total defense for the second straight year, Detroit didn’t make it a priority to go after defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, linebackers Bart Scott and Michael Bol-ey and safety Jim Leonhard. The Lions’ lack of motivation to spend money has caused a major setback in Detroit.

If you watch the Lions play this season, you will see signs of progress. Detroit has got a good young core on both sides of the ball. Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford has shown the NFL arm scouts loved when he was at the NFL combine but must improve his accuracy. Stafford has missed open receivers down the field on a constant basis and has already thrown 20 interceptions in 10 career starts. Along with Stafford, the offense is led by running back Kevin Smith and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. On the defensive side, rookie safety Louis Delmas is second in tackles for the team and veteran linebacker Larry Foote taken on the leadership role and has helped develop rookie linebacker DeAndre Levy, who is third on the team with tackles. Along with the players, the Lions hired Jim Schwartz. Schwartz, the former defensive coordinator for the Ten-

nessee Titans, has helped Detroit get their first win in 21 months. Schwartz is a hard-nosed coach who expects nothing more than 100 percent effort on the field. But it finally seems Detroit has shown some progression with the players and their coaches.

If the Lions want to get better, when the draft comes around in April of 2010, they must go one of two ways: either establish a pres-ence on the offensive line or defensive line. Detroit will likely end up getting a top five draft pick and this is the year of top-notch de-fensive linemen. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska has been considered the best player in college football this season and has been a dominant force. Also, in this year’s draft is Oklaho-ma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and the pass rushing defensive end Derrick Morgan out of Georgia Tech. The other way Detroit can go is by establishing a more effective offensive line. Now, they drafted right tackle Gosder Cherilus two seasons ago and that is a start. But they need to add more to the line. The best offensive lineman in this year’s class is senior left tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma State, who is the best pass blocker in the draft, a position the Lions desperately need to fill. Other key linemen include Trent Williams out of Oklahoma and Anthony Davis out of Rutgers.

So, my fellow Lion fans, I think there is hope. In four or five years we could be a team to reckon with. I’m not saying that they will be a Super Bowl caliber team, but they’ll be a team you can watch and enjoy. The Lions have young players who will be domi-nant in years to come and a hard-nosed coach who will take no excuses for losing. We’re all tired of losing and the losing may continue for another year or so. But if the Lions want to spend the money, go for an offensive or defensive lineman in this draft and bring in another leader for the defensive side of the football, you will see much improvement in Detroit’s gameplay.

Junior Tim Stockwell goes up for a spike during fourth hour volleyball class.

“

”

We have some good people, but if we play as a team, we should be good.”

–Robby Williamson, senior

Boys Basketball

Girls Basketball

Gymnastics

Boys Swimming

Wrestling

Hockey

by jerry EASTWOOD

12 December 18, 2009 back of the boat

Sides to Every Story Sides to Every Story2by casey VANDENBERG by kerry MORRIS

Why do you love Call of Duty so much?“I don’t love it, but I do like it a lot because it’s so realistic.”

Has it ever affected your social life?“I don’t think so, because I don’t

play it on the weekends and there isn’t really anything

to do with my friends or anything when I get home from school and stuff.”

Did you skip school to play it the first day it came out?

“No, my mom wouldn’t let me miss school even if I was

on my death bed. So if I even tried to miss it for a video game, then she

would kill me.” How much time do you spend on it?

“It’s different each day but I would say a pretty good amount

just because there’s nothing to do when I get

home.”

Did you wait in line for it?“Yeah, I went to the mall at midnight

and met up with a few other people and the wait was only like a half hour.”

What’s your favorite one?

“The newest one for sure, be-cause it’s the best.”

What do you love so much about “Twilight?”“The story in general and the characters. I wish I knew all of

them.”

How has your obsession affected your social life?

“Everyone thinks I’m a freak, and everything I talk about has to do with Twilight or New Moon.”

Did you see New Moon the night it came out? What time did you get there?

“We got there at 6. We were close to being the first ones there.”

Did you dress up?

“We wore New Moon shirts. We were go-ing to wear caps on our teeth, but we couldn’t find them.”

How many times have you seen the movies and read the books?

“I would say Twilight, I’ve seen over 20 times for sure, and I’ve seen New Moon twice. I’ve read all of the books once, and I’m reading Eclipse again right now.”

Are you Team Jacob or Ed-ward?

“I tell everybody I’m Team EdCob.”

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