The Sailors' Log

• Dec. 27,28 and 29 “The Believers” musical

show in high school dance room at 7:30 p.m. • Musical Improv show

Dec. 29 at 3 p.m. in the dance room. The show will be filled with scenes

and songs created on the spot, using

audience suggestions. Tickets are $5

at the door or $4 in advance in the choir office.

indexp. 2-3 – editorial

p. 4 – entertainmentp. 5 – profiles

p. 6-7 – center sectionp. 8-9 – feature

p. 10 – newsp. 11-12 – sports

next paperNext month’s edition will be out Feb.14.

students of the monthNovember students

of the month are seniors Taylor Groenhout

and Kendall Sells.

The Student Recognition program recognized senior Danielle Reihl

and junior Rachel Resterhouse with $10

Subway gift cards.

random acts of kindness rewarded

yearbook pictures onlineThe yearbook can use

your help in taking pictures. Upload your pictures at replayit.

com. You can also view yearbook staff pictures.

On Dec. 12 at Baker College in Muskegon, students competed in CAD and technology

based challenges at the state wide competition.

Top performers for Shores were junior

Morgan Oneka, who took first place in

document formatting and third place in a

Microsoft Word event; senior Ben Szot, who

took first in 3D modeling and second in autoCAD; and senior Colin Duca, who took 3rd place for

web page design.

Shores students win big at

Baker College Technology Challenge

Christmas break performances

• School will resume on Monday, Jan. 7

Christmas break

LOGthe

’ Volume 51 Edition 4

Friday, December 21, 2012

Mona Shores High School • 1121 Seminole Road • Norton Shores, Michigan 49441

get connected

In the face of technological advancements, Shores now offers numerous online resources that allow the community to stay connected. (Rachel Resterhouse)

By Jake BordeauxEditor-in-Chief

The days of school newsletters and phone calls are over.

With the advancement of the Inter-net and the explosion of social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, ed-ucators, clubs, sports teams and students have been forced to adapt to new, easier methods of communicating with their members and the community.

“Having a communication tool is cru-cial in presenting the school and our dis-trict to students, parents, and other agen-cies interested in Mona Shores,” Principal Jennifer Bustard said. “It is important even for prospective students and families in search of a new school – it is a com-

mercial tool.” Along with the district’s official web-

site, Shores has a multitude of websites and media representing all of the different clubs, organizations, and sports teams that make up the Shores community.

The faculty at Shores uses websites like monashores.net, monashoressports.net, and monashoreskids.org to try and create sites that allow all of the school’s groups to be represented, but each group is also encouraged to create sites or social media pages for itself.

For instance, the football team has

created its own Facebook page where all important football-related information is posted.

“If I had a (regular) website, I knew that there was a good chance players wouldn’t check it every day,” varsity foot-ball coach Matt Koziak said. “Facebook is perfect because all people have to do is like the page and all of the information and updates will automatically get sent to them, and I know that they are way more likely to get on Facebook everyday than a separate website.”

Everything from class information to when the next home wrestling meet is can be found from the comfort of that favorite Lazy-Boy recliner.

The only thing left for people to do is get on-line and get connected.

Shores’ online resources keep community informed

monashores.net monashoressports.commonashoresorchestra.org

By Kayleigh FongersCenter Section Editor

It’s out with the old and in with the new – for the new dance expectation at Shores, that is.

“The dance policy itself is not new,” assistant principal Walt Gawkowski said. “But the expectation has always been that students dance in a manner that is deemed appropriate by the adult chaperons.”

Gawkowski said that recently, however, it was prevalent that students were dancing in a manner that the administration considered to be inappropriate.

And that’s where the new enforcement came in.

“Frankly, it reached a point where we could no longer allow it to go on,” Gawkowski

said.“It” that Gawkowski is

referring to is dancing that is referred to as “freaking,” which is when the male grabs a female’s waist from behind, the female bends forward, and they thrust their hips in unison to the beat.

While this style of dancing is not new (one San Francisco Chronicle story references this style in a June 3, 2001, article titled “Newest teen dance is freaking out school administrators nationwide; some ban movements described as ‘sex with their clothes on’”), Gawkowski and other administrators said students had crossed the line at the Halloween dance.

So for the Winter Dance, which was held Please see DANCING, page 10

For a sampling of the websites available to help you stay informed to the Shores

community, please go to page 10.

FREAKIN’ OUT Administration puts end to sexy dancing

While teens across the country have been “freaking” for years, Shores admin-istration finally said “enough is enough.” When the Winter Dance took place Dec. 8, students had to sign the typical form about no drinking or drugs, but no inappropriate dancing was also included. (Warren Kent III)

2

The Sailors’ Log • Friday, D

ecember 21, 2012

editorial

Volume 51, Edition 4Friday, December 21, 2012Mona Shores High School

1121 Seminole RoadMuskegon, Michigan 49441

LOGthe

’

EditOr-in-ChiEf Jake Bordeaux

EditOriaL EditOr Andrew Kromminga

EntErtainmEnt EditOrHailey Hrynewich

PrOfiLEs EditOrMandy Versalle

CEntEr sECtiOn EditOrKayleigh Fongers

finE arts EditOrKelley Wheeler

fEaturE EditOrMorgan Schwing

sPOrts EditOrHolly Fredericksen

Cory Sander

PhOtO EditOrRachel Resterhouse

staff Abby Bryson

Annabella OlivaresAbby PertersonBlake RobinsonMiranda Shafer Rhian Williams

advisErWarren Kent III

The Sailors’ Log is a public forum for student expression distributed freely to students and faculty of Mona Shores High School.

The Sailors’ Log can be found at the following on-line sites:

• www.thesailorslog.com (contains current stories,

photos, etc.)

• www.monashoressports.com (contains current Sailor

sports information)

• Facebook Fan Page: The Sailors’ Log

(provides a means for the staff to communicate with its

readers and vice versa)

• Twitter: @thesailorslog (provides easiest way to get

information to readers)

• Email: [email protected] (provides readers

with a way to communicate with the staff)

Our Voice is the opinion message selected by the 10-person editorial board of The Sailors’ Log. Your

Voice, the letters to the editor section, is the opinion of our readers. All letters to the edi-

tor must be signed.

The Sailors’ Log is printed by Hi-Lites Graphics, Inc.,

1212 Locust Street, Fremont, Michigan 49412.

Fellow classmates, we have come a long way since the ever so famous excuse, “My dog ate my homework.” Since then, excuses have become more creative, and it is ridiculous how

creative they have become.We now spend more time and effort into thinking of new excuses

than we do our homework.We have gone from blaming our dog for our missing assign-

ments to telling a three-minute story about how our baby sister drooled all our paper and then our mom threw it away.

I know the excuse above is a little dramatic and it seems like no sensible student would use it, but that’s what excuses are starting to become.

Because of the new and not so complex excuses teachers hear, teachers are starting to come up with new reasons why students should have their homework done.

But we aren’t the only ones at fault with excuses; teachers give excuses to us just as much as we do to the teachers.

One of the most popular excuses that a teacher uses is, “Your tests aren’t graded because I forgot to bring them home.”

If a student told a teacher that they forgot to bring the assign-ment home, they would fail that assignment.

Teachers should listen to their own advice; always do your work, turn it in on time, and never give excuses.

Excuses are thrown around all day between teachers and us. It would be easier if we just did what we were assigned or if we just did what we said we would do.

This will be the last newspaper article you ever read.

That is unless you read the next newspaper article, or the world doesn’t end today.

So you may be wondering what the big deal about today is. According to the Mayan Long Calendar, on this day and year (Dec. 21, 2012), the world will end.

This calendar, which was pre-dicted thousands of years ago by a civilization that is now gone, is believed to prove that the world will end.

However, according to the SETI Institute (seti.org), the Maya cal-endar, which is made up different cycles of day counts, does not end this year. Rather, one cycle of

144,000 days (394 years) ends, and the next cycle begins.

OK, SETI stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence,” so the group can be trusted, right?

This is not the first time the world was predicted to end though either, the Mayan Calendar alone has pre-dicted the end of the world multiple times.

Many students probably cannot remember Y2K, but it was when they predicted that the world would end at the changing of the millen-nium.

Many more people were fearful of Y2K than are of today’s date. Even experts were not sure if we would survive Y2K or not, but we made it.

Yet, people still assure themselves that the world will end today.

In fact, one man was so sure that he formed a group to survive this “apocalypse,” and they are camping out on a mountain in Africa to be safe.

Well at least they got to see a nice view when they woke up this morning.

So to all of those who thought the world was going to end today, all we can say is maybe next year.

As the band R.E.M. says, “It’s the end of the world as we know it. And I feel fine.”

The Sailor’s Log staff encourages our readers to send letters.

However, not all letters can be published, and the editorial board reserves the right to edit letters for clarity.

Guest commentaries and

stories may be included if the staff feels they enhance coverage of a unique topic.

No mate-rial will be printed which is libelous, advocates illegal

activity, or which is deemed to be in poor taste.

Attacking our ideas is fine; per-sonally attacking

our writers is not. Remember, everyone has the

right to his or her own opinion, including you.

Please sign and submit your letters to room 501, Mona Shores High School, 1121 Seminole Road, Muskegon, MI 49441 or via [email protected].

Newspaper encourages readers to submit letters to the editorYourVOICE

Well, excuse me

Students, teachers need to just get work done

Apocalypse Now?If world ends, enjoy our newspaper

AndrewKromminga

Editorial Editor

OurVOICE

Homework ExcusesEveryone knows the obvious excuse that “My dog ate my homework,” but what other excuses have Shores students used? And have they worked?

“I told my teacher that I was volunteering for a whole day, but it was only part of a day. It worked, and she believed me.” – Frankie Kule, sophomore

“I told my English teacher that I went to go off to fight a dragon

with my backpack on, and every-thing in my backpack fell out, and

the dragon burnt only my home-work.” – Eli Bowers, juniors

“It was just the weekend, anything could have hap-pened, or I say it was in my backpack, and it was outside.” – Alexa Chrum, freshman

“Football went late, or I went to the hospital, or I did it, but I left it at home and asked if I can turn it

in for half credit.” – Jamall Lay, junior

3The S

ailors’ Log • Friday, Decem

ber 21, 2012editorial

These rants you are about to read are, for the most

part, pointless. However, in order to maintain a sane mentality and spare throwing fireballs of words at an undeserving victim, they must be shared.

• Stop telling other people to stop wearing makeup, or to put more on. It is not your face.

I lose all respect for you if you speak words of judgment that belittle someone because they do or do not apply makeup when or where you would.

Why do you care what they put on their face?

If you do not like that specific style of simplicity or extravagance, I have the perfect solution: don’t wear your makeup like that.

Though I must say, what bothers me most is when people judge someone for trying to look good by using makeup, then the next night you yourself are putting makeup on.

Hypocrisy is something no one can pull off, darling.

• Grades are evil. With that being said, I understand the importance of an education.

What I do not understand ,though, is why so much emphasis is being put on earning a better grade. Just because I didn’t ace my final exam does not in any way mean I failed as a student, or that I had not learned anything in the class.

If I am improving my ability to compre-hend and apply what I have learned in the curriculum to real life I believe that to be a success.

Grades, to an extent, do not reflect one’s intel-ligence, Einstein.

• If two people are happy together, leave them alone. Gay, straight, bi, or even five years apart.

The only two people who should be con-cerned about the fate of, or events in, a relation-ship are the people involved in said relationship. You are in no position to say any negative things, for you are not the one experiencing the love and passion that may or may not be present between the two.

And you’ll never know because guess what? You’re not involved in the relationship.

That is their business. So knock it off, Sherlock.

• Stop posting sad sta-tuses on Facebook, and then saying you don’t want to talk

about it in a comment. Obviously you do; other-wise, you wouldn’t have posted it for everyone to see.

As your friend, we care that you are upset. However, Facebook is no place for posting depressing statuses along with refusal to answer the age old question “what’s wrong?”

That is what tumblr is for, love.• Just because I am a girl does not mean I

cannot participate in sports just as well as the boy standing next to me in gym class.

Everyone has their niche, and even though mine is not necessarily activities that involve hand-eye coordination does not mean I cannot play at all. Just wait for that timed mile run.

You’ll see, kid. There. I’m done. My pointless ranting is over.

But if you’ve read this far, maybe it wasn’t so pointless after all.

The Sailors’ Log staff has been eavesdropping on your conversations in the halls and the classrooms. So, we will be responding to those questions and statements. In other words, we have been a fly on the wall...

“Ew, someone just peed.” – said in the

hallway

The Sailors’ Log: Did it smell like

asparagus because this phenomenon has been known for centuries. French novelist Marcel Proust famously wrote in 1913 that asparagus “transforms my cham-ber-pot into a flask of perfume.” Perfume, eh? Those French people are weird.

“Don’t lick my hand! Get out of my

space!” – said in English class

TSL: What if you taste like chicken?

“I have the stuff for you. It is in my

trunk.” – said in the Sailor Center

TSL: What do you have, and do you

have enough to share?

“So when they checked for your

concussion, they found a brain?” - said in the hallway

TSL: Well, let’s hope that there is

one in there!

Opinion by Annabella Olivares staff writer

on the wall...

Real

Trees

Fake

Trees

In each edition, a staff member of The Sailors’ Log will evaluate two similar products, items, etc. and let readers know which one is better

Appearance

Price

Health

RachelResterhouse

Photo Editor

ReAl

-Life

Rantin

g

Everyday situations are making me angry

Nothing beats coming down the stairs Christmas morning and seeing that beautiful, green, full

Christmas tree, which smells of pine and joy. Just seeing the tree makes that little spot in one’s heart fill with the spirit of the holiday. The appearance of a real Christmas tree is wonderful, but we all know that real Christmas trees are messy. But if one does not mind

vacuuming a couple of times a week, then go for it.

Real Christmas trees are remarkable, but maybe some people have allergies to the tree. Some people get stuffy noses or coughs. They’re probably allergic to the mold or the type of pine that the tree is made of. But many places spray the tree down with water

before they sell it in hopes that will reduce allergens.

Most people think of a fake-looking green Christmas tree that smells of dust and a weird plastic smell, but nowadays, one can buy a nice looking artificial Christmas tree and just light a pine scented candle. Some of the “fakes” are decorated with lights and even have a spot on the tree where one can plug in an iPod or mp3 player and listen to Christmas music as the lights dance along with it. Nine and a half million artificial Christmas trees were purchased in 2011. Usually a decent fake can cost anywhere from $80-$600, but the good thing is they last forever. Fake Christmas trees are great and usu-ally pay for themselves in about three Christmases, but keep in mind that 80 percent of them are made in China.

Most fakes are made of PVC plastic. First, PVC has been linked to cancer, neurological brain damage, and many other serious health issues. Next, the plastic used to make them is petroleum-based, so when people finally get rid of their trees, they go to a landfill and sit for years and years.

Nothing beats a real Christmas tree with its majestic beauty and homemade ornaments glistening in the lights. We have so many fake things in this world, why add Christmas trees to the list? With all the health concerns and their production based in

China, I just would not buy a fake tree. However, having a Christmas tree that plays music does sound pretty cool.

versus

This is the area that most people are worried about. Real Christmas trees range from $25 to $120

depending on the type of tree and where it is bought. Many say that people who buy real Christmas trees are wasting their money and time. According to online arti-

cles, statistics say that in just three years of buying real trees, they could have already paid for their fake one.

However, when one pays for real Christmas trees, he is usually supporting local businesses and jobs.

4


ecember 21, 2012

entertainment

Grandparents If you’re looking to spend next to nothing,

look no further than your own home. Homemade gifts are perfect for that grandma who desperately wants to reconnect and still hangs onto that old pine cone ornament you made in the first grade. To satiate their thirst to be your buddy, I suggest creating a small cookbook that has some of your favorite recipes and some cutesy saying in it that you know they’ll treasure forever and ever. You can create this with just a little bit of work on the computer and minimal costs.

MothersNo idea what your mom wants

for Christmas/Kwanza/Hanukah? Why not try a nice coupon booklet of favors? This could include such items as a clean house, clean dishes, a walked dog, a home-cooked meal, or even a back rub. This book o’ favors really does make for a delightful surprise for mommy dearest this holiday season.

FathersI find that dads are always the most difficult to

come up with presents for. I always run into the dilemma of trying to find something functional while still personal. What do they want? Honestly, I think that food is most appreciated. A nice batch of brownies tied up to look fancy and yummy is

always a nice fall back option if nothing else. If you do any sewing, you could always make a per-sonalized BBQ apron for that backyard cookout.

SiblingsHave a brother or sister? If they are young,

quantity may be valued over quality. This being the case, you could always peruse the toy aisle of the dollar store and find many small gifts. Also, you could make them a sock puppet or a simple toy. If they are older than you, a good last-minute gift

you could pick up could be a gift card to their favorite shop (you can chose the amount on this so you don’t have to break your bank). If they have left for college, you could even make them a scrapbook of your good memories.

FriendsEvery friend is different, so it’s difficult to

come up with a generic gift. You should not get them a generic gift or else they might feel cheap. You might think that they have everything, but often that’s not the case. Another possibility is a picture of the two of you in a nice frame. Remember, it’s the thought that counts!

There are so many affordable awesome options out there for holiday gifts. If you’re still stumped, the Internet provides a plethora of options for the frugal gift-giver.

Peer Perspectives

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year! It’s time to get excited for this year’s New Year’s Eve party in downtown Grand Rapids, where, for the fourth year in a row, the shimmering six-foot ball will drop.

The event is hosted by 105.3 Hot FM. Music acts by New Boyz, Jesse McCartney, Baby Bash, and local act Outer Vibe will perform. There will also be national music acts by artists such as Downtown Fiction, The Ready Set, DJ Curtin Avison & DJ Justin King, and The Romantics. These artists will begin at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.

Last year, more than 35,000 people celebrated at this free event. This year, however, the concert stage will move from Rosa Parks Circle to Monroe Avenue.

There are several other events that will take place at the party besides the exciting ball drop at the end of the night.

One of these events is the balloon drop. More than 250 col-orful balloons will fall on children and their families at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. Families must pay $10 to enjoy snacks, drinks, face-painting, activity stations, and a radiant disco ball that drops as well.

Do you like hockey? Celebrate the holiday downtown with the Grand Rapids minor league hockey team where the Griffins will take on the Milwaukee Admirals at 6 p.m. At the game, fans will experience West Michigan’s largest indoor fireworks show.

Do you like to skate? Due to the new location at Monroe Avenue, glide away on the ice at Rosa Parks Circle this year.

Are you into Motown? The Grand Rapids Symphony will per-form classic Motown songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s at 7:30 p.m. in the DeVos Performance Hall. Along with this, guest singers will sing famous songs by the Temptations, the Jackson 5, and Smokey Robinson. Tickets start at just $18 online.

Run, run, run! Participate in the Wolverine Resolution Run, which is a 4-mile run/walk around Reeds Lake in East Grand

Rapids. Registration fee is $23 online through Thursday. Proceeds will support Spectrum Health’s Pediatric Oncology Resource Team, which helps families of children who have cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Want to stay in town? Muskegon has a number of restaurants waiting for people to come visit them. The Lake House Waterfront Grill, 730 Terrace Point, is arranging an a la carte menu featuring a display of appe-tizers, salads and entrees along with disc jockey and dancing from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Docker’s Fish House, 3505 Marina View, will have a buffet and dancing to live music by the Westside Soul Surfers for just $40 for the entire night.

For $54.95, a group of four can bowl for two hours at Northway Lanes, 1751 Evanston. This includes shoes, an all-you-can-eat pizza and taco buffet, and pitchers of soda.

Finally, a dance, “Here’s to the Night,” will take place at 7 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. in the North Muskegon High School Cafe, 1600 Mills. For $10 (the first 25 get in for $5), there will be snacks, beverages, door prizes, amazing lights, and great music. The event is exclusively for high school students from any school who must bring their school I.D. and is hosted by the Greater Muskegon Optimist Club.

It is not long before everyone will be shouting “Happy New Year!” So talk to your friends and make plans to go to a couple of these exciting events. I know where I will be this New Year’s Eve, and that is downtown Grand Rapids.

Hailey HrynewichSight & Sound Editor

What are your plans

for New Year’s Eve?

“I have to babysit my cousins for eight hours, and then I

will probably go see a movie with my boyfriend, Reed.”Maddy Polinori, senior

“My friends Alex Rakowski, Natalie Wiersma,

Lexi Carlston and I are all going polar bearing.”

Lizzy Groenhout, sophomore

“I plan to just hang out with all my friends and

watch the ball drop.”Kevin Witt, junior

“My best friend Alyssa and I are going to the downtown GR

New Year’s Eve ball drop. I have gone every year since the start.”

Kennedy Berry, freshman

COMING ATTRACTIONSTheaters

• Texas Chainsaw 3DJan. 4, 2013

Summary: A young woman inherits a Texas mansion. She brings her friends with her to

see it, only to find the many ter-rors that lurk in the basement.

• Christmas VacationDec. 21

Summary: It’s Christmas time and a seasonal celebra-

tion must be planned for a family. Things, however, do not

run smoothly, and the event becomes quite chaotic.

Concert

•SkrillexDec. 31 at 6 p.m.Location: Palace

of Auburn Hills

• Zac Brown BandDec. 31 at 8:30 p.m.

Location: Joe Louis Arena

DVD Releases

• House at the End of the Street

Jan. 8, 2013

• The InbetweenersJan. 8, 2013

CD Releases

• Taio Cruz’s Ty O

Dec. 31Genre: Pop

• The Mavericks’In Time

Jan. 29, 2013Genre: Pop

McCartney highlights New Year’s Eve PartySparks to Fly in downtown GR

Nifty and Thrifty Homemade gifts that will make memories

Jesse McCartney

Rhian WIlliamsStaff Writer

If you’re like me, you’re probably strapped for cash and time. Do you want to find the perfect gift for that special someone but just don’t have a clue what to get them?

Are you broke? Not to worry! You can whip something wonderful up in no time!

K N O W S N OL O V E

By Mandy VersalleProfiles Editor

From age 7 to 9, sopho-more Gerardo Smith spent every Saturday of his child-hood climbing the mountains of Mexico. It was a tradition at Lily of the Valley, the Mexican orphanage

where he lived when he was younger. “My friends and I would pretend that we were Indians

climbing up a mountain,” said Smith, who was orphaned at age 3 because the police separated him from his mother. “The people that worked there tried really hard to make it as fun as possible for us kids.”

When Smith was dropped off at Lily of the Valley, he did not plan on being a permanent resident.

“When he was first taken to the orphanage, he thought that his mom was coming back for him,” said Becky Smith, Gerardo’s adoptive mother. “No one told him that he was staying. He kept thinking she [his biological mother] would be coming back for him.”

Like most, Smith did not have his best life experiences in the orphanage.

“Being in that orphanage was a horrible experience,” Smith said. “I did not have any siblings with me, and when you don’t have siblings, you get picked on. I often thought about leaving, but something always made me stay. In the end, I don’t know that I even had the courage to get up and leave everything behind.”

One thing Smith said he was reluctant to leave behind was his best friend Fabian, a boy who lived at the orphanage with him.

“Fabian was my best friend,” Smith said. “When Becky and Don, my adoptive parents, came down to visit me at the orphanage, he would pretend that my mom was his mom. He called her ‘mi madre’ [my mother] and every-thing.”

When Fabian was removed from the orphanage by his grandmother, Smith lost touch and has never heard from

him since. Smith said he has also never heard from or met his

father, and he does not know of any biological siblings. However, Gerardo did gain five new siblings when he was adopted: Christy, Josh, Tammie, Chad, and Tania.

Since he had no siblings, Smith’s years before the orphanage were spent just with his mother.

“I was put up for adoption so I could be given a better home and a better life than the one that my mom gave me,” Smith said. “My mom and I wandered around a lot. Being from an Indian tribe, we didn’t have very much. From what I can remember, we lived with my mom’s boyfriend in his house. But when he was drunk, he became abusive, and one night, my mom gave me the choice to stay with him or leave with her. I chose my mom.”

Later on in his childhood, Smith was put up for adop-tion when police separated him from his mother at age 3.

“My mom went out drinking with her friends one night and brought me along,” Smith said. “We were in an aban-doned building or somewhere where we weren’t supposed to be, and the police caught us. They took my mom away and told her that she wasn’t doing her job as a parent. It was then that I was put up for adoption.”

The years that have passed have made Smith forget his early years in the orphanage; however, other memories seem to come naturally for Smith.

“I can remember almost everything from my child-hood,” Smith said. “I think that I could go on for hours about all the memories I have.”

His favorite memory is one of him spending time with his mother at the Mexico-U.S. border, which most people would paint with guns, border patrol, and a fence. Smith, however, sees it as a place of beauty.

“There was this huge field of dandelions there that I would spend all day playing in,” Smith said. “It is my best memory.”

Smith has not been back to Mexico since he was adopted. He said he plans to go back with his new par-ents soon.

“Part of me is afraid to go back to Mexico,” Smith said. “I don’t know Spanish very well anymore, and I don’t know that the people there would accept me.”

Smith, who only knew Spanish when he moved here, now speaks English fluently and has little knowledge of the other language. Along with the obstacle of learning English, Smith has been forced to face significantly morePlease see ADOPT, page 10

5FABJunior Sarah Jones saw her life flash before her

eyes at a Mount Pleasant softball tour-nament her seventh grade year.

“My friend Baleigh Tharp dared me to eat shrimp because she knew I didn’t like it,” Jones said.

Having never had shrimp before, Jones was unaware that she was allergic to it until her throat began swelling up.

“Thank God one of the parents was a nurse with Benadryl, or I would have died,” Jones said.

Desperately needing to use the bathroom, senior Jonny Lawton saw something he wishes he could take back.

“I was not paying attention because I was in a rush,” Lawton said. “I acci-dentally walked in on a teacher going to the bathroom.”

Lawton admits that it was the most embarassing thing he had ever done.

“I was screaming,” Lawton said. “Even worse was the fact that I had him as a teacher the following tri.”

At the age of 7, sophomore Quinn Kendra was hanging out with his friend Julia Lakos when an accident involving dancing occurred.

“I was clearly dancing too much because the table broke, and I fell through it,” said Kendra, who was dancing to the song “Lip Gloss” by Lil’ Mama.

“Thank God I didn’t hurt myself,” Kendra said. “That would have been even more embarrassing.”

Having surgery in 2010 required freshman Chloe Cook to be on crutches during winter.

“I fell on the ice and almost my entire body slid underneath a car,” Cook said.

Cook had just come off of sur-gery and was on her way to school the morning that she fell.

“My mom was driving me so she had to come and pull my body out from underneath the car,” Cook said.

Math teacher Kristia Whitaker spends her free time as an official for competitive cheer.

“I cannot judge anything related to Shores,” said Whitaker, who used to be the competitive cheer coach at Shores until she resigned in 2007 when she gave birth to her son. “Therefore, I have to do a lot of traveling.”

“I judge with my former co-coach, so being an official is a way for us to reunite,” Whitaker said.

In each edition, The Sailors’ Log will

feature five random students and teachers

who have an interesting story to share.

Lawton

Bathroom nightmare

Jones

Life flashed before her eyes Official at cheer competitions

Whitaker

Falls through a table

Kendra

Cook

Slides under car on crutches

5The S


ber 21, 2012profiles

Sophomore shares inspiring story of his adoption

Holding a picture of one of his adop-tive brothers, sophomore Gerardo Smith was adopted by Becky and Don Smith when he was 9 years old. (Rachel Resterhouse)

FactsAdoption

1. More than 60 percent (of chil-dren) spend between two to five years in foster care before being adopted.

2. There are 1.5 million adopted children in the United States, more than 2 percent of all U.S. children.

3. The age distribution of the children in foster care waiting for adoption is: <1 year — 4 percent 1-3 years — 26 percent 4-6 years — 19 percent 7-9 years — 15 percent 10-14 years — 20 percent 15+ years — 12 percent

B O R D E R

Information from childrensrights.org

center

section

6


ecember 21, 2012

H E L L Om y n a m e i s

Famous Names

What’s in a Name?

Same Names

In middle school, there wasn’t much

confusion, but once I got to high

school, everything started to get

confusing: passes for the wrong

Kayla, detentions for the wrong

Kayla, and even lockers. – Kayla Schulte, junior

I think it’s cool to have the same

name as someone because it

doesn’t happen often. I’ve gotten

texts and Snap chats from freshmen

though because they thought I was

the other Morgan Smith. – Morgan Smith, senior

There has been a lot of confusion.

The school gave us the same ID

number. I ran out of lunch money

faster than normal, and they told my

parents I was having two lunches a

day, which was totally not the case.

– Elizabeth Miller, junior

It’s cool because it makes you

wonder how many people have the

same name as you. I get confused

with her a lot, like last year when

our lockers got all messed up and

we got each others agenda books. –

Caitlin Sherwood, sophomore

It’s funny because I got her locker

when I was supposed to have my

own locker because it’s senior year.

I was really confused. I also got

her mail sent to my house. – Kayla

Schulte, senior

I feel like it’s pretty cool. It’s weird,

though, that we ended up with the

exact same name. We don’t have

any classes together or anything, so

it’s not confusing. – Elizabeth Miller,

freshman

I guess it’s just kind of weird because

out of all places it’s at the same

school, and sometimes when I get

called down [to the office], it’s not

really for me – it’s for her. – Kaitlyn

Sherwood, senior

BoysJacob - 22

Alexander/Alex/Alec - 20Ryan - 16

Nicholas - 16Andrew - 12Justin - 12

Michael - 12

GirlsMegan - 17Emily - 15

Samantha - 14Maddison - 12

Rachel - 12Kailey - 11Morgan - 11

Gender NeutralJordan - 16Taylor - 12Logan - 10

Devin/Devon/Devan - 7

Riley/Rylee - 6Bailey - 4

Jamie/Jayme - 3

It’s annoying because for the

most part, he was famous

before I was born, so adults

always say, “Oh, like the

director, but you probably have

no idea who that is.’”

Kevin Smith, sophomore

Kevin Smith, director

It’s pretty cool.

Although whenever I introduce

myself to people, ladies,

they ask me if “I’m that same

guy from that movie.”

Sadly, I always reply, “No.”

Chris Evans, senior

Chris Evans, actor

I think it’s pretty cool actually. Many

people in my classes will look at me,

though, whenever the senior Morgan

Smith’s name is mentioned on the

announcements. They assume it’s

me. – Morgan Smith, freshman

What’s in a name?

For this center section,

The Sailors’ Log Staff

did some research on

the variety of names

that make up

Shores’ student body.

From students with the

same name as celeb-

rities to students with

the same name as

each other, we spot-

lighted some unique

students who have

stories that go along

with their names.

Sarah Jones, junior

Sarah Jones, actress

I really didn’t know that a

famous person had my name,

but I guess it’s pretty cool.

Unless she is goony...then I’d

prefer that people don’t know

that we share a name.

CommonNames

The following are the

most common first

names of students in the

high school for boys,

girls and gender neutral.

When parents give

their child a name,

most likely they do not know

that name could

one day be similar

to a famous person.

These five students

share their name

with someone who is known

for something special.

At least four students at the high school share the same name as someone

else in the high school. This can sometimes cause problems,

like when one of the two might get in trouble, and the wrong student is

notified, but for most of them, they said they do not mind sharing a name.

Six students explain how their first names were chosen.

7The S


ber 21, 2012center

section

Information compiled

by Kayleigh Fongers, center section editor,

and Abby Peterson, staff writer

H E L L Om y n a m e i s

Famous Names

What’s in a Name?

My name is a form of my dad’s name

(Doug), and he named me after

a basketball player named Dugan Fife.

– Dugan Dieselberg, sophomore

My mom’s name is Anne, and my twin sister’s

middle name is Anne. My mom wanted us both

to have Anne in our names, so I have Anne in

my first name. – Rannen Stone, junior

My parents picked my siblings’ and

my name because they did not want us

to have the same names as anyone else.

– Dava Lakatos, freshman

Sarah Jones, junior

Sarah Jones, actress

I really didn’t know that a

famous person had my name,

but I guess it’s pretty cool.

Unless she is goony...then I’d

prefer that people don’t know

that we share a name.

Ken Davis, freshman

Kenneth Davis, 1972 Olympic

basketball player

I didn’t even know that I had

the same name as a former

Olympic basketball player.

I don’t think it’s that cool.

My mom asked my dad what they should

name me, and he said that she could pick,

so she named me Corinne but spelled it

wrong. – Corinne DeWitt, senior

Ashley Brown, freshman

Ashley Brown, Broadway actress

I don’t like having the same

name as a famous person

because I wish that

my name was original.

Six students explain how their first names were chosen.

My parents found the name online,

and it was the only name

that they could agree on.

– Nolan Kladder, freshman My name is German and Polish,

which is our nationality, and it was one

of my relative’s names also.

– Katrina Herder, freshman

My middle name is Bunting,

and my parents chose

it because it’s my

grandma’s maiden name. It’s

also Welsh and English. –

Lauren Wegner, freshman

My middle name is Panici,

and my brother [freshman

Sam Bondy] has it too. It

was my mom’s maiden

name. – Mariel Bondy, junior

My middle name is Cougar,

and I was named after

John Cougar Mellencamp

(American rock singer). –

Cade Messenger, junior

My middle name is Breeze,

and my dad picked it

because he likes the

breeze that comes off

Lake Michigan. – Nichelle

Hulka, sophomore

Middle Names

Most students do not even

know their peers middle names,

but there are some unique ones

out there. These four students

shared their stories.

Just Like DadThese students are named

after their fathers.

Terry Frye III, freshman

Robert Gardner III, sophomore

Donald Morris III, sophomore

Kenneth Peggues Jr., sophomore

Antonio Richmond Jr., sophomore

Randall Johnson II, senior

8


ecember 21, 2012

features

By Morgan SchwingFeature Editor

Christmas is a time of festive cheer and child-like wonder. When one thinks about what movie

amps up Christmas spirit, six classic cartoon movies come to mind.

Which movie, however, is the favorite of Shores students?

When students were given the options of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), A Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), A Charlie Brown

Christmas (1965), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Santa

Claus is Coming to Town (1970), lines were drawn in the sand as to which was the best.

“My favorite Christmas cartoon is How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” junior Miles

DeVoogd said. “It’s a classic, and it’s funny. I also love the Who’s.”

The heartwarming tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas seems to be a favorite among Shores students across the board.

“Definitely, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my favorite,” senior Kenzi

Main said. “I loved reading Dr. Seuss when I was little, and considering he wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas, it was inevitable that it would be one of my favorite Christmas movies.”

How the Grinch Stole Christmas also provides

hope to students.“The reason I like How the Grinch Stole Christmas

best is because it is truly and inspiring story,” soph-omore Sandra Yacoub said. “He went from living a life full of hatred to a life full of love and compassion. It shows that there is hope for everyone, no matter what.”

Although How the Grinch Stole Christmas seems to be the most popular, there are many who still love the other choices as well.

“I like Frosty the Snowman the best,” sophomore Cassie Hansen said. “Every Christmas, I would watch it, and I remember crying every time Frosty melted in the movie. I guess somewhere along the way it became my favorite.”

The fun Claymation and fun characters also fac-tored into which was a student’s favorite.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was my favorite because he was just a cute little reindeer, and no one believed in him, and then he showed them all up,” senior Alexis Porter said. “Clarice was also a pretty reindeer.”

No matter what cartoon was chosen, all options seem to increase a student’s Christmas spirit.

“These stories help get you in the Christmas spirit because they are the classics that we don’t get to hear modern re-tellings of,” senior Molly Schaub said. “You watch these movies when you are little, and Christmas is most magical when you are a kid, so it brings back all the memories of when you would wake up and Santa had just been there.”

who•what•when•where•why•how

For the six

issues of The Sailors’ Log, this

section will attempt to answer questions based on the five W’s and the one H. That’s

right, we will be answering the who, what, when, where,

why and how’s that we think will be important to the

student body.

By Morgan Schwing Feature Editor

Favorite Christmas Cartoon?

When was Shores founded?

When is Allegretto Notte?

Shores opened on Aug. 1, 1962. There were 650 students in ninth and 10th grade in the school. When the school opened, there were 35 teachers under principal C. William Hanichen. Shores was put into motion because the board of education members and school

administration were looking for a way of providing an improved edu-cational system for the students of the district.

The annual Allegretto Notte workshop takes place Jan. 18-19. This workshop provides

children from third grade-ninth grade the opportunity to work with the Shores Allegros

over two days and perform a show that Saturday night. This year, the Allegros in

charge of this program are seniors Megan Boerema and Tyler Patrick. The high school

Allegros will be performing Fame: The Musical on March 22, 23, and 24.

When is scheduling?

Class of 2014The assembly will be Jan. 28, and the actual

scheduling will be done on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

Class of 2015The assembly will be Feb. 4, and the actual

schedualing will be done on Feb. 7-8.

Class of 2016The assembly will be Feb. 11, and the actual

scheduling will be done Feb. 13-14.

Grinch steals hearts of viewers

When is yearbook stuff do?

Senior pictures are due Feb. 14. To submit a senior picture, send it via email

to [email protected], you have three days to order

your yearbook at $60. On Dec. 24, the price of ordering a yearbook will increase to $65.

To order a yearbook, go to www.jostensyearbooks.com.

When did band, orchestra, and choir

win their first awards?Band: The Marching Band won state titles in 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003 as well as a USSBA National Championship 2006.Orchestra: Won at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in1998 (Overall Winner) and 1995 (First Division Winner) and won a Championship in 2006 Choir: They were invited to perform at the White House in 2002, and the Singing Christmas Tree was featured on TLC and The Travel Channel.

9The S


ber 21, 2012features

By Kelley WheelerFeature Editor

When biology teacher Jennifer Adams was diag-nosed with breast cancer in October, math teacher Carrie Helmer knew Adams would tackle the dis-ease head on.

“She is a warrior,” Helmer said. “She is a fighter and has had a positive attitude through this whole thing.”

This mental toughness allowed Adams to return to school on Wednesday, Dec. 12, after a four-week recovery period.

“Every time someone would walk through the door, they would have a smile on their face,” said Adams about her return to her classroom. “My students just kept hugging me. I was excited to be back. This is where I belong.”

A close friend of Adams, Helmer took charge to help Adams during her time away from school.

“I made a food calendar, and teachers rose to the occasion and signed up to bring food to her family for the whole month she was off so she could focus on her recovery,” Helmer said.

Helmer also wanted Adams to feel welcomed back when she returned to school.

Helmer created “Mona Shores Team Adams” T-shirts to show support for Adams. The $10 T-shirts sold out by the day Adams returned, and students and teachers wore the pink shirts with pride.

Helmer said $2 from each shirt will go toward the Relay for Life walk.

Adams said she was filled with joy when she was welcomed with faculty and students wearing the supportive T-shirts.

“I saw somebody wearing a T-shirt, then another teacher with one, and I knew Mrs. Helmer had something to do with it,” Adams said. “I’m glad I saw the shirts before I walked into the (teach-er’s) meeting (before school on Dec. 12) because I would have been overwhelmed, in a good way, to see most of the faculty wearing them.”

Helmer said it was important for her to do some-thing for Adams because of the strong bond they have.

“She is one of my best friends. We started teaching together 19 years ago,” Helmer said. “There is a lot of history between us.”

While Helmer and Adams have a strong history, cancer has a history in Adams’ family.

Her father passed away from leukemia three years ago, and her mom is an 11-year ovarian cancer survivor.

In a journal she began once she was diagnosed with cancer, Adams wrote that seven of her family members have had cancer.

Adams became the eighth person in her family to have cancer.

She said she felt a lump in one of her breasts in mid-October, and with her instinct to be proactive about her health, she called to make an appointment but was unable to receive an exam until January.

Once, Adams decided it was not safe to wait that long, she scheduled herself to see a physician’s assistant.

“(The PA) was, and continues to be, a god-send,” Adams wrote in her journal. “As soon as she reviewed my chart and saw my family history, she ordered a battery of tests from ovarian cancer screenings to the mammogram.”

After days of anticipation, Adams was contacted by her PA with shocking news. The lumps Adams discovered were cancerous tumors that indicated she had Stage I Breast Cancer.

Luckily, it was caught early. For Adams, she said the most difficult part of

this ordeal was telling her loved ones. The first one to know was her husband.

“The biggest emotions at this point were nerves and fear of the unknown,” Adams wrote. “Neither one of us cried. We just really didn’t know what to do. We were in shock.”

Adams next told her mother, a cancer survivor.“She is the strongest and most amazing woman

I know, but I knew this news was going to be dif-ficult for her to hear; that her only daughter had cancer,” Adams wrote.

Her surgery was performed at Hackley Hospital on Nov. 16, and it went extremely well.

“I don’t think I have to have chemo,” Adams said. “We think we got it all since there was no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes.”

Being a biology teacher, Adams has repeat-edly taught about cancerous cells and the details of cancer. Now, Adams has experienced the process and hopefully never will have to again.

“I want my Sailor Family to know how much I appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, smiles, mes-sages, calls, food, and cards,” she said. “I have never really cried about having cancer, but the kind-ness being shown to me by so many has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. I will never be able to express how much all of the love and sup-port being sent my way has meant to me.”

Cancer hits Sailor Family

English teacher, cancer survivor, now realizes life is precious

Science teacher returns following breast cancer surgery

By Miranda ShaferStaff Writer

Nobody thinks they will get diagnosed

with cancer. It won’t happen to them, they will say,

but expect the unexpected.Before February

2007, cancer wasn’t even in the mind of English teacher Pat Walsh.

“Facing the word cancer was the hardest part,” Walsh said. “Cancer, to me, meant death.”

Walsh was diagnosed with breast cancer February 2007 and said she was in shock to hear this news.

She said she found a lump in one of

her breasts in December 2006 and finally went to Hackley Hospital on February.

“I thought it would go away,” Walsh said. “I had just recently got a mammo-gram, and nothing was found.”

When she went to Hackley, she was immediately sent to a surgeon at the Hackley Cancer Center to get a biopsy.

Within three days, she knew she had breast cancer.

Her usual life was drastically changed from teaching English one day to battling breast cancer the next day.

“This was all unexpected,” Walsh said. “They say 1 of 4 people gets breast cancer, and my sister got it a year before. I thought I was in the clear.”

Two weeks later, the doctor told her news she didn’t want to hear.

She would have to be put on chemo-

therapy, which has many side effects, including hair loss.

“It was when I was in the shower when my first pieces of hair lay on the floor,” she said “I went in to my hair dresser to get it all shaved off.”

The first time seeing herself with no hair hit her hard. Some people couldn’t imagine living without hair, but Walsh kept on going.

“When I first looked in the mirror, it was a bit of a surprise,” Walsh said. “I wouldn’t let this define me though.”

It took one year to fight for her life. Eventually, the breast cancer was not can-cerous anymore.

Even though Walsh has had this happen to her, she said this would not define her.

Her support of her family and friends helped her through these difficult times.

“My advice is to stay positive and lean on the support of your family and friends,” Walsh said.

During the difficult times, people find out who their close friends really and how important family is, especially how fragile life can be.

“I’m much more mellow and apprecia-tive now,” Walsh said “This made me stop and smell the roses. I will not take any-thing for granted now.”

Even getting cancer didn’t bring down Walsh. When something negative hap-pens, she said, turn it in to a positive.

“Cancer to me doesn’t mean death (anymore); it means you are a fighter,” Walsh said. “I believe everything happens for a reason. When something bad hap-pens, you just have to fight through it and not let it define you.”

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.

Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death among women.

Each year, it is estimated that more than 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer

and more than 40,000 will die.

Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed

with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

Breast Cancer Facts in the United States

Information from National Breast Cancer Foundation Inc.

Walsh

Adams

SYMPTOMS & SIGNSEarly warning signs of breast cancer

may involve the discovery of a new lump or a change in the breast tissue or skin.

HOW TO PERFORM A BREAST SELF-EXAMWomen should perform

a self breast-exam each month and any changes or abnormalities

should be discussed with a doctor or physician.

10


ecember 21, 2012

profiles

Continued from page 5 challenges than most his age have had to face.

“I always worry about falling behind in my grades,” Smith said. “I’m in the tenth grade, but I feel like I could be in eighth grade with how much I understand every-thing. Even though I’m prac-tically fluent in English, the vocabulary is still crazy to me.”

One thing that Smith is not worried about, though, is ending up back in an orphanage.

“My family wouldn’t do that to me,” Smith said. “They are incredible.”

Don and Becky Smith filed for Gerardo’s adop-tion at the age of 7; how-ever, Smith was not adopted until half way through the age of 9. Smith said that the seemingly unending process was due in part to the end-less background checks and forms that had to be filled out. He also said that the indeci-sive Mexican police played a part in when he was allowed to leave.

“We made five trips to the orphanage before we got to bring him home,” Becky said. “It was so hard to leave him each time. Many times, we would go back just to reas-sure him that we hadn’t for-gotten about him and that we were still working at bringing

him home.”During the waiting

period, Don and Becky would come to the

orphanage and visit Smith, which gave him hope, but always left him wondering.

“Every night after their first visit, I would run to a little wooden house and stand on the roof,” Smith said. “I wished that every car that passed would be my parents coming to visit me again. I never knew if they would come back or not.”

Although a strenuous two and a half year process, Smith did describe his entire adoption experience as being exciting. Smith was luckier than most others his age. Oftentimes, older children are not considered for adoption. Most children, if adopted, are adopted as a baby.

“I would encourage all parents who are consid-ering adoption to go through with it,” Smith said. “It’s an amazing experience. Not only does it change the parents’ lives, but it changes the kid’s life as well.”

Adoption has certainly changed Smith’s life. He said that he now realizes that there is more to life than what he originally thought.

“Being adopted gave me a reason to live,” Smith said. “If it wasn’t for the Smith’s, I would either still be in that orphanage or I would be wan-dering the streets of Mexico alone.”

Smith said it took Smith approximately one year to adjust to his new lifestyle in America. Even though he spent little of his essential younger years with his Don and Becky, he says that it has never been awkward.

“My family and I connect on so many levels because we like many of the same things,” Smith said. “My dad and I used to have pillow fights when I was younger, and I remember him tick-ling me until I screamed like a girl. My mom is also a ton of fun. She is so easy to talk to, and she helps me with the important things like school.”

Don and Becky have also experienced drastic life changes by having Gerardo in their lives.

“He brings a lot of joy into our home,” Becky said. “He is a very happy kid, and we just love his smile. He also keeps us young. We are starting all over again with going to soccer games, the Singing Christmas Tree, and Pop Go the Sailors. He is also one that is grateful for everything that he has. He is so compas-sionate. He loves people. It’s a privilege to have him and to help him succeed in life.”

Smith said that Don and Becky were the best parents he could have asked for.

“The experiences that they have provided me with are incredible,” Smith said.

They both do so much to make me a better person.”

ADOPT

Get Connected to... Get Connected to...

Get Connected to... Get Connected to...

Shores has its own district website, where anyone with a computer can access information ranging from the daily schedule to specific teachers’ blog pages.

www.monashores.net

www.monashoreskids.orgThe Mona Shores Education Foundation is a group dedicated to helping the district with funding for various projects. Its website includes informa-tion about who they are, what they do, and how to get involved.

moodle.monashores.netThe Mona Shores Moodle page is a site that allows teachers to post class information, videos, and homework. Students may then register with their class and keep up to date with the teacher’s posts.

www.monashoressports.com

sailorhockey.pucksystems.com

Facebook groups & blogs

www.replayit.com

sailorslogonline.wordpress.com


monashoresorchestra.org

www.monashoresband.org


Traditionally, many coaches use their faculty blog page to post information about their respective sports. There are a number of coaches who have chosen to create Facebook pages dedicated to sports. These can easily be found if “Mona Shores [insert sport here]” is typed into the search bar.

Shores’ hockey program went away from faculty blogs but did not move toward social media. The hockey team has its own personal website com-plete with team rosters, coach information and game schedules.

Two years ago, Sailor athletics found a home for all sports at Shores. This website is solely dedicated to sporting events. Updated daily, the site pro-vides schedules, match results, and roster information.

The yearbook takes thousands of pictures, but, at the end of the year, only a fraction make it onto the pages the yearbook. Jostens has created an online home for all pictures relating to the school year. Anyone can upload pictures after registering, and all pictures can be viewed by the public.

The downside to printing a monthly school newspaper is the difficulty of providing recent information. This website, which will be active after break, allows us to keep up to date with the happenings around Shores.

The majority of clubs and organizations have made the jump to Facebook. Once a member of the group, students get notifications for any updates made. However, some club heads still use their faculty blog for club info.

The orchestra at Shores has its own website separate from the district site where information about upcoming events and concerts are posted.

Shores’ highly acclaimed and nationally recognized band has its own website. Here, the band has information on all of their upcoming perfor-mances for both concert and marching band. Also, any other events like fund raising efforts are posted.

Other performing arts groups like the choir, allegros, and players can all be located from Facebook or teacher blogs. The blogs may be accessed through www.monashores.net.

Continued from page 1 Saturday, Dec. 8, students had to

sign a form that said they would dance appropriately with “face-to-face and leave some space” as the dictum.

The reaction from students has been mixed.

“I have never fully enjoyed dances because of the inappropriate dancing that I found to be foul and unnecessary,” senior Danielle Riehl said. “The school made a smart decision to enforce (the policy) because the inappropriate dancing had gotten way out of hand.”

Others, like junior Ragen Cooper, did not find the Winter Dance to be as enjoyable because chaperons were instructed to focus on the students dancing.

“The dance was not a success this year,” Cooper said. “It could still be fun even with the face-to-face policy if school authorities weren’t staring us down every way we turned.”

Gawkowski said the new enforcement came with positive intentions.

“The goal of these events is make sure that everyone has an enjoyable evening and feels comfortable attending our high school dances because that has not always been the case,” Gawkowski said.

Many students did, in fact, say they felt more comfortable.

“I enjoyed myself at the holiday dance because I didn’t feel like everywhere I turned I would be forced to watch repulsive actions,” Riehl said.

Ticket sales for the Winter Dance this year were at an unusual low level

– approximately 300 tickets were sold, a stark contrast from the usual 500.

“As far as accounting for this difference, I imagine that many would point to an expectation by the administration that the dancing no longer be ‘suggestive,’” Gawkowski said. “But that is speculation on my part – I cannot say for certain why more students did not attend.”

Despite some complaints, Gawkowski said students seemed to handle things well.

“There were a few warnings issued, but overall, the students were respectful,” Gawkowski said. “In general, I was very proud of the way our students conducted themselves.”

Those who had complaints still had positive things to say about the dance.

“On the plus side, the decorations and the music were great,” Cooper said.

The rule isn’t something that is intrinsic to Shores, Gawkowski noted.

“I can tell you without hesitation that nearly every school in our area and beyond struggles with this same issue,” Gawkowski said. “They all have introduced their own procedures to deal with this issue.”

The way that Shores has chosen to deal with the issue is intended to help the students have fun and feel comfortable at all of the dances, Gawkowski said.

“It would be a miscalculation to assume that every student feels safe and comfortable attending our dances when the style of dancing is not appropriate,” Gawkowski said. “The goal is to provide a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable evening for all students.”

DANCING

get connected

By Cory SanderSports Editor

Pat Rabbitt has had this feeling before. The excitement, the anxiety one feels before the game. Only this time, he’s behind the bench.

“I have a passion for hockey and working with young people,” said Rabbitt, the industrial arts teacher at Shores who is the new varsity hockey coach. “I was excited and intimidated all at the same time (about being named head coach).”

Rabbitt, who began his profes-sional hockey career in his hometown of Merritt, British Columbia, with the Merritt Centennials, was drafted in 1980 by the St. Louis Blues of the NHL.

Although Rabbitt never made it to the NHL, he played minor league hockey for teams in Montana (twice), Kansas, and Wisconsin before finally settling in Muskegon, where he played for the Lumberjacks from 1984 to 1986.

Rabbitt’s hockey experience also includes a stint as head coach at Muskegon Catholic Central.

“I have been fortunate in having played under and worked with some great coaches over the years,” Rabbitt said.

He said he will look to take the things he has learned from past teammates and coaches in his journey to his position as head coach for the Sailors.

And Rabbitt said he understands the rich tradition of hockey at Shores. The hockey program has a state championship title in 2000; was state runner up in 2004, 2007, and 2009; and won eight conference championships, including six since 2003.

“The Shores program is rich in its history and traditions,” Rabbitt said. “I hope that I can continue to build off of the ones that were at the helm before me.”

Developing these student-athletes into exceptional hockey players would be considered an understatement. Rabbitt said he is looking for much more when working with these athletes.

“I am after developing young men both on and off the

ice,” Rabbitt said. “There are valuable life lessons that can be learned through playing sports. This is something that is worked on over the course of the year by talking about cer-tain principles, maintaining those concepts by reinforcing the right actions and attitudes and trying to be an example.”

The new head coach said he is looking to drive some things home this year with his team.

“We need to be a discipline team that outworks our oppo-nent every game,” Rabbitt said. “That is the foundational core for our team to be successful.”

Senior Reed Hrynewich said he is enthusiastic about having Rabbitt as the new head coach.

“Coach Rabbitt is very knowl-edgeable and experienced in the game of hockey and is focused on making each player the best they can be,” Hrynewich said.

Junior Nate Rabbitt also said the new head coach is steering them in the right

direction looking ahead in the season.“I like what he’s doing because we are

doing lots of conditioning and footwork which will pay off late in the season,” said Nate Rabbitt, who is also the coach’s son.

Nate Rabbitt is used to seeing his dad on the ice working with him day in and day out.

“He has been an assistant coach for every team I’ve been on since seventh grade, so I’m used to being around him,” Nate Rabbitt said. “Plus, we make a pretty good father-son team.”

Coach Rabbitt said he is excited and ready for this season behind the bench.

“I’ve been please with our willingness to work hard and being committed to our team goals,” Rabbitt said. “I’m looking forward to this year.”

Behind the BenchRabbitt takes over as hockey head coach

Winter PreviewsCompetitive Cheer

Coach: Al Weber

Last Year’s Overall Record: 10-9-1

Last Year’s Conference Place: 5th

Key Returners: Senior Colin Duca (130),

Juniors Taylor McPhail (135 pounds) and

Adam Pawlowski (140)

Team Strengths: Good practices

From the Coach: “The team has been step-

ping up their practices.”

WrestlingCoach: Matt Schuchardt

Last Year’s Overall Record: 4-7

Last Year’s Conference Record: 0-4

Key Returners: Seniors Kyle Willson, Keith

Otto, and Tyler Otto; juniors Pat Taylor, Joey

Paul, and Chris Evans

Key Newcomers: Freshmen John Hunt,

Chase Ledsworth, and a great group of eight

other freshmen

Team Strengths: Our key returners are all

talented strong and hard working

From the Coach: “(We are) lean and mean.”

Boys’ Swim

Girls’Basketball

Coach: Amanda HeethuisLast Year’s Highlight: City championsLast Year’s Conference Place: 3rdNo. of Returners: 15 of 22 Key Newcomers: Sophomores Julia Mocere, Shayna Hoch and Timyia Riley; freshmen Kennedy Ryan, Morgan Roberts, Lucy Tibbetts and Mackenzie LundTeam Strengths: Excellent jumps and tum-bling, positive attitudes at practiceFrom the Coach: “Coming back strong, this team is ready to prove themselves in Division 1. Our theme for sideline was ‘Ignite the Flame,’ and that’s exactly what the girls did.”

Girls’ Bowling

Boys’Bowling

Coach: Bradley KurthLast Year’s Overall Record:15-8Last Year’s Conf. Record: 8-2Key Returners: Seniors Meredith Smith, Morgan Smith, Corrine DeWitt, and Brooke Ledsworth; juniors Jasmyn Walker and Saddie Vela Key Newcomers: Juniors Amy Gillings, Sarah Jones, Rachel Anderson, Kortnie HeiningTeam Strengths: Guard playFrom the Coach: “This team returns some starts from last year’s team that challenged a lot of great teams in the area.”

Boy’sBasketball

Coach: Nick BronsemaLast Year’s Overall Rec.: 6-15Last Year’s Conf. Record: 3-7Key Returners: Seniors Adam Rayner and Dmitris Demetriou; juniors Logan Smith and Adreon BillipsKey Newcomers: Seniors Collin Adams; juniors Logan Haugh, Marquon Sargent, Cam Matthews, Jamarius Williams, Julian Loera and Marcus Tumblin; freshman Kobe Burse Team Strengths: The ability to play any playerFrom the Coach: “We are going to be unselfish. We look to win every time we step on the court.”

Coach: Greg SchmelingLast Year’s Overall Rec.: 20-0Last Year’s Conf. Record: 8-0Key Returners: Seniors Jake Sherburn, Grant Gillard, Mitch Davignon, Hunter Carlson, Dakota Hanson, and Chris Sherburn; sophomore Dan RibbinkTeam Strengths: Experience and executionFrom the Coach: “Going on my fourth season with this group of kids, my expectations of the seniors are high.”

Coach: Greg SchmelingLast Year’s Overall Rec.: 20-0Last Year’s Conf. Record: 8-0Key Returners: Seniors Alex Beall, Jill Klein, and Ashley Cory; juniors Magann Dykema, Kalynn Hannahs, and McKenna Birch Team Strengths: Experience and executionFrom the Coach: “The goals are simple: win the OK Black Conference, defend our regional titles (both boys and girls) and win a state title in our hometown and try to stay undefeated in the year in match play.”

11The S


ber 21, 2012sports

Coach: Pat RabbittLast Year’s Overall Record: 16-10Last Year’s Conf. Record: 5-7No. of Returners: 17 Key Newcomers: Senior Cole Shafer; juniors Alec Sturr, Cory Sander and Ben EssenbergStrengths: Work ethic and skill set

Hockey

The Sailors’ Log • Friday, December 21, 2012 sports

By Abby BrysonSports Editor

From Lebron’s chalk clap to the Red Wings’ octopus, world-class ath-letes have found many ways to get their mind ready for competition.

But preparing mentally is not exclusive to world-class athletes.

Many athletes at Shores also have a way to get into a prepared mindset.

Girls’ cross country coach Heather Hall, who also teaches psychology, said having a completely focused and prepared mind can help physical per-formance.

“(Mindset in sports is) totally important. You can’t have distrac-tions to the goal you set if you plan to be successful,” Hall said. “You can’t have any negative thoughts or not be confident in what you’re about to do.”

Sophomore Chase Baker, who was the starting catcher on the var-sity baseball team last year, said, “If I don’t do (my routine) exactly right, I am thinking about it the entire game. (Then) every time something goes wrong, I blame it on what I did differ-ently that day.”

To jump-start his game, Baker said he has an intricate set of movements.

“Before every single game or prac-tice, I stretch and warm up properly,” Baker said. “I put my right sock on first every time and my right cleat first every time. When I am catching, I always put my left knee pad on first and then my right. My shoe laces have to be double knotted. Before I bat, I put my right batting glove on first, then my left. I take exactly three prac-tice swings every time because I am No. 3, and I make the sign of the cross on home plate before every pitch.”

However, Baker said he does not believe his routines help him physi-cally.

“It’s all a mental stand-point,” Baker said. “I believe it truly doesn’t make you physically any better of a baseball player, but you convince yourself it does. You think it

makes you better,”Baker is not the only one at Shores

with a pre-game routine. Senior Renee Tardani, who is a

varsity sprinter, also said having a set routine will affect her performance.

“I’ve accidentally let a race sneak up on me, and I’ve run without proper preparation before,” Tardani said. “It was rough, and I didn’t perform well because physically warming up my legs makes a difference, and with the wrong mindset for an event like the 400, I give up halfway through the race.”

Sophomore Jake DeRemer, who plays varsity soccer, said if he stopped his routine, his game would suffer.

“I would say (a routine) helps me mentally because it puts me in the mindset to be focused on the game that I’ve prepared for,” DeRemer said. “I think my performance would change because when I do listen to music and put my stuff on in my order, I know I have set myself up to do my best.”

To prepare her body, senior Serena Gale-Butto, who holds the girls’ cross country record, always drinks water the night before and day of a race.

“Physically, drinking water helps me because it helps keep me hydrated,” Gale-Butto said. “If I didn’t drink water, I know my perfor-mance would change because on the days I didn’t, I could feel it during my race. It makes it a lot harder to run.”

Baker said getting his mind focused is an important part of sports and will even affect his physical game.

“I think if I didn’t do my every-day routine, my performance would not be good because of the mental stand-point of it,” Baker said. “It gets in my head, and I think too much.”

However, Hall said that one does not necessarily need to do the same thing every time to become prepared.

“Some people think it helps,” Hall said, “but as long as you’re getting your mind prepared, you don’t need a ritualistic routine.”

By Holly FredericksenSports Editor

It seems so easy.We’ve all been there. We’ve all sat in the stands

at a football or basketball game. We’ve all looked over to our friend and criticized a mistake one of the players made.

It seems so easy from up there. We’ve seen the disappointed look in the fans eyes,

thinking that the situation the player is in is easy. Maybe we’re watching a professional game on

TV. We’re sitting there thinking, “Why have those athletes been so successful?”

Contrary to popular belief, there is more to sports than physical ability. The mental world of sports is big, and some experts say it contributes to more than half of the overall game.

Athletes battle mental blocks everyday during training and games. Anxiety and physical impairment are two things that could be a reason for an athlete to not perform at their peak.

For some, o v e r c o m i n g these obstacles is quick and easy, but o t h e r s m a y s e e k help

from a professional. Sports psychologists and perfor-mance coaches are options that benefit players.

“(As a coach), I help with anything that may be blocking them,” said performance enhancement coach Phile Towle, via a phone call Nov. 29. “Just a couple of the reasons are self-doubt and anxiety. I try to help people fill their greatest potential and find out what psychological reasons are holding them back.”

Towle, whose website is philtowle.com, has worked with elite performers, such as Olympic swim-mers, business leaders, bands, actors and actresses, and has a Super Bowl ring from working with the St. Louis Rams in 2000.

“I work with people who have to be at their best,” Towle said. “I help people who put themselves in difficult situations manage themselves better.

Sometimes, people have personalities that haven’t caught up to their talent, and they become successful before they even realize it.”

Through visualizations, deep breathing practices, and many more techniques, performances coaches, such as Phil Towle and Ryan Blanck, can use to assist athletes in overcoming mental obstacles.

Blanck, the founder of Deviate, is a perfor-mance-improvement consultant who said that with the help of extraordinary leaders that performers strive to their highest potential. There is no blanket answer on how to help an unique individual though.

“During the process, I try to help them create har-mony with themselves,” said Blanck during a Nov. 29 phone call. “The most important thing is that they find a piece of mind.”

Many athletes go through mental phases where they might be burdened and feel the need to be per-

fect; they feel it’s not OK to be imperfect. “Asking tough questions helps

someone come up with the best answer for himself,” Towle

said. “I believe every-thing is already inside

of us. I’m just here to help them

find their own break-t h r o u g h s . T h a t ’ s what the p r o c e s s is all about.“

By Blake RobinsonSports Editor

For many multi-sport athletes, one sport season is directly followed by another with no break in between.

First-time multi-sport athletes may become frustrated when making this transition as their mental attitude is not conditioned for the change.

On the other hand, athletes who have gone through this change for sev-eral years know how to mentally pre-pare for the transition.

“I have found that this transition really has gotten easier with more years of playing the sports,” said senior Colin Duca, who moves from cross country to wrestling to track. “The change starts to come almost naturally.”

Coaches often have techniques to help athletes make the mental transi-tion easier.

“You need to get them excited,” varsity boys’ basketball coach Nick Bronsema said. “We begin our pre-season by watching a Michigan State boys’ basketball practice at the Breslin Center. We were able to see how hard they work, meet the coaches and players, and then hang out in their team room. Keeping them mentally excited keeps them confident with the sport.”

Athletes, too, have their own ways of changing their mentality and getting from one sport to another.

“Conditioning is a big part of sports,” said junior Pat Taylor, who runs cross country, swims, and plays baseball. “It’s a pretty big change from cross country to swim, working out different muscles, so conditioning is really important.”

Even though this transition may become rough, an athlete needs to keep strong mentally because it will become more fluid, Duca said.

“(Newer multi-sport athletes need to) stay confident,” Duca said. “The transition gets easier with time.”

Athletes find ways to transition between sports

High school athletes rely on routines to perform

Experts share psychological impact on sports

Mental

How much of your sport is mental?

Wrestling: “It’s probably about 50 percent because you have

to believe in yourself before you can find success.”

Adam Pawlowski, junior

Cheerleading: “I’d say it’s at least 70 percent because if you

don’t get rid of your fear, you won’t be able to do anything.”

Kenzie Lund, freshman

Basketball: “A lot is mental because if one of us gets down, it brings everyone down, and it affects how we all play. ”Brooke Ledsworth, senior

Hockey: “Hockey take a lot of mental toughness, and you can’t let your emotions control you.”Nate O’Neil, sophomore

the

Game of Sports

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