Dexter High School2200 N. Parker Road

Dexter, MI 48130

November 19, 2010Volume XVI

Issue 3theN o v e m b e r 1 9 : T h e b i g g e s t d a y i n t h e h i s t o r y o f h i s t o r y

Weighing the pros and cons

IB programme may be implemented next year

Staff and administration are considering a change in class scheduling to be implemented as early as next year.

Among possible changes would be a seven-period day and a return to semesters. A final decision has not been made; however, the general consensus appears to be that the current format of three, five-period trimesters causes more problems than it solves.

One complaint voiced about trimesters is their ill effect on foreign language classes. Such classes, which originally lasted the entire year, last only two trimesters under the current system.

According to French teacher Kim Lund, “Trimesters have been horrible for languages. Kids can go nine months without classes. That gap is the worst thing for acquisition and proficiency.”

Indeed, students who decide not to take optional classes in the intervening trimester, such as “French Conversation for Travel,” miss months of class time that they would otherwise have had.

Having a seven-hour day, which is one option under consideration, would mean that Freshman House could integrate in to the normal bell schedule, too, which is important to house teacher Ethan Konett. “I think being able to fit into the school schedule rather than work outside of it will be easier for teachers, students and especially counselors,” he said.

Currently, freshmen have a six-hour school day with different passing times than the rest

of the school.Both Konett and Lund lament the reduced

time they have to get to know students under trimesters. The current 12-week period for classes is apparently not long enough. “I’ve had students in 12-week courses that I barely got to know,” Konett said. “To me, that’s unacceptable. That makes me feel like I’ve failed some kids.”

Lund worried about the loss of student relationships as well. “We thought that with longer classes, you could still develop relationships with students; but we lost about 16 percent of our instructional time,” she said. “We have bigger chunks of time, but they’re filled.”

The pending changes could affect the music program as well. Band, Orchestra and Choir have co-curricular requirements that do not line up neatly with traditional term lengths.

This irregularity means music classes are all three trimesters, which can be a significant roadblock in the scheduling system.

But alternatives to trimesters don’t excite Band Director Ken Moore. “Some schedules, if implemented, could have a devastating impact on music, and many of the hallmarks of our program could be potentially eliminated, such as the Dreadnaught Marching Band, the Halloween Concert and the Band Extravaganza Concert,” he said.

On Nov. 9, teachers voted to determine their recommendation for next year’s scheduling system: The staff voted 49-14 in favor of the resolution that “The instructional staff of

Dexter High School assert that the current schedule (trimester) is unsustainable.”

While this vote is not definitive (the final decision rests with administrators) it shows a rejection of trimesters.

In terms of specific scheduling options, the staff voted overwhelmingly for semesters, with 53 staff members voting for either a seven-period “IB-friendly” semester system or a seven-period semester with “balanced hours.”

The vote does not constitute a final decision, however. Principal Kit Moran is responsible for making the call. “There’s no perfect schedule,” he said. “Everything has drawbacks.” Moran did say, though, there needs to be a change from the current system and said he was leaning toward the recommended seven-period semester plan, due to the overwhelming teacher majority in favor of it.

Moran cited Portage Northern High School as an example he would use in setting up such a system.

Portage Northern, an IB school with 1350 students, currently uses a seven-period semester schedule.

For Lund, ideally, a return to semesters will herald a return of teacher-student relationships and previously discarded curricula. “The things I love about the culture, the history, the things that grabbed me in the first place, have been cut,” Lund said. “Some kids need those activities, so they repeat things enough in their head that they know them in their heart.”

Pending the approval of a site team, the International Baccalaureate programme will be offered to next year’s juniors and seniors. The IB programme has a diploma option or students can take individual IB classes such as math and Theory of Knowledge.

The IB programme, founded in 1968, currently works with 3,076 schools in 139 countries.

It is an intensive course that allows students to take on an extra workload and looks good on a college application.

This is one of the reasons sophomore Olivia Vollmers wants to join the program. She thinks it can help her chances in college.

“I want to go to an Ivy League school,” she said. “I think that this can open a lot of doors and give me more opportunities.”

An IB site team visited DHS this month and looked at the details of the school. Factors such as scheduling and teaching methods were taken into consideration by the IB team. They will contact the school in spring and say whether Dexter High School is eligible for the IB programme.

If offered, the program will consist of approximately three hours of homework a night for students in the diploma program and will be taught as regular courses within the high school.

“This program is a great opportunity for kids,” said French teacher and head of Dexter

High School’s IB programme Kim Lund. “Dexter is very isolated in terms of culture, and the IB programme is an opportunity to expand student’s sense of culture. It will really promote international mindedness within Dexter,” Lund said.

Vollmers is excited for the opportunity to join the IB programme because of this opportunity as well.

“It’s my decision to join, as well as my mom and dad’s,” she said. “I’m taking all of the classes except for the foreign language and math classes. I’m most excited for Theory of Knowledge, since I think it seems like an interesting topic.”

The program contains six different areas of study that students are required to participate in. These are English, foreign language, science, math, social studies and art.

In addition, in order to earn an IB diploma, students must write an extended essay of up to 4,000 words, along with participating in 150 hours of creative action and service during the span of their junior and senior years.

These hours may come from such things as sports practices, community service or playing a musical instrument.

This year’s juniors are not eligible for the full diploma, but they may take specific classes. They do not have to do the add-ons that the diploma requires, such as creative action and the extended essay.

French and Spanish are the only two

foreign languages that will be offered in the IB program, but according to Lund, advanced German will be offered outside the IB programme.

“We don’t have enough German teachers to add into the program right now,” she said. “So we are considering adding German V in order to give students who wish to continue German the opportunity to do so.”

The IB Theory of Knowledge class currently scheduled to be taught by English teacher Ellen Doss and possibly Lund will explore knowledge as a whole.

“It will ask questions like what do we know and why do we know it?” Lund said. “It’s not so much a philosophy class as is it an exploration of general knowledge.”

There are many benefits of doing the program as well, according to Lund.

“Universities love this program,” Lund said. “Students learn to handle college-level classes and workload before they even enter college.”

The idea of the program appears to be popular to students as well as parents.

“So far, I have received 30 applications from students to join the program, as well as around 50 e-mails from parents who are interested in having their children join the program,” Lund said. “Over the last few years, Dexter High School has been very popular in terms of new students and exchange students. Our hope is that this will bring more people to our school who are interested in getting a better education.”

Connor Thompsonmanaging editor

Kevin Skivernews editor

Corrections from last issue ...• Physical education teacher Kelly Bauer was incor-

rectly identified as math teacher Lisa Bauer.• The lead roles in the upcoming production of “Our

Town” were not identified correctly• Colin Northrup is a junior, not a senior as identified

in the “Our Town” article.• The article on the Dexter Pharmacy was written by

Leah Drinkard not Marne Little.

HP movies that should have been ... November 2010 poll questions:

• Is uPage editor Marshall Kellenberger a real editor? A. No. B. No. C. What’s a uPage?

• Is Harry Potter the best series of our generation?A. Yes. B. Indubitably C. Vampires suck

• What is copy editor Ray Carpenter’s superpower?A. Flight. B. Telekinesis C. Secretly a porpoise

illustration by Trevor Herman-Hilker

Semesters Trimesters

Staff and administrators consider switch to a new schedule

David LaMore signs with Cornell to play basketball

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ part one premiers

Lazer Planet provides new teen hangout

Page 5

In the Rostrum

Page 8

• Harry Potter and the revenge of fluffy• Harry v. Draco: The ultimate face off• Herimone and the rebellion of the house elves• The Hogwarts dilemma: Trimesters or semesters?• The Hobbit ... oops ... wrong series• Harry Potter and the mysterious ticking noise• When Harry met Ginny• Harry Potter dies ... uhhh what next?

NEWS 2Friday, November 19, 2010

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has reached a record high in Washtenaw County and might have spread to Dexter High School.

Lasting about six weeks, symptoms include coughing and vomiting. The coughs can cause hemorrhaging, fractures and hernias.

According to school nurse Aileen Kernohan, the most deadly part of the disease is spreading it to babies or other small children, whose immune systems aren’t as strong.

Pediatrician Andrew Seiler agrees. “Babies can go to the hospital, and maybe even die from it,” he said.

While pertussis is most dangerous in babies and toddlers, it can also infect older children and adults. If the victim is immunized, pertussis is less severe, but symptoms still show up.

“It’s mostly just a big pain,” Seiler said.

According to Kernohan, pertussis may be a pain, but it can be stopped with proper precautions. “The most important aspect of fighting pertussis is breaking the chain of disease transmission,” Kernohan said.

In layman’s terms, that means stopping the disease from spreading to other people.

If the disease can be contained, it won’t be nearly as dangerous. The real danger of pertussis is just how contagious it is, though, Kernohan said.

The coughing with pertussis can be so bad the victim is prone to throwing up immediately after. The symptoms

last for months, but the disease can only spread for the first three weeks.

There was one suspected case at DHS this year along with one suspected and three confirmed cases at Bates.

Last year, pertussis spread through Creekside and Wylie even worse than this year. There have been 183 cases in Washtenaw Country so far this year, with only 81 cases in all of 2009.

Because pertussis is bacterial, as opposed to viral, antibiotics are used to combat it. “‘Z-paks’ are used to treat the disease,” Kernohan said. Z

Z-paks contain six 250 mg tablets of azithromycin, which is effective against multiple types of bacteria.

As far as what to do to get better, Seiler said the best bet is to avoid other people and rest.

“Stay home for the full five days,” he said. “But after that you’re free to road around.”

And education helps prevent the pertussis from being acquired in the first place, Kernohan said.

To achieve this end, she said the school district sends around letters if there are reported cases in the school.

They send around a general letter to the families if there is a suspected case within the school the child attends. There is also a close contact letter if there is a case within the specific classroom.

The goal of these letters is to educate and inform the families who might be affected by the disease.

Still, according to Kernohan, the old advice is the best advice. The most effective way to prevent pertussis, she said, is getting vaccinated, drinking lots of fluids and washing your hands.

Adam Richman has made a living traveling around the world doing the thing he loves. Eating. Host of “Man vs. Food,” Richman said he is always seeking “the biggest and best eats our nation has to offer.” And there are three restaurants in Dexter’s backyard that made the list. Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, Maize and Blue Deli and Tio’s Mexican Cafe in Ann Arbor stepped up to the plate.

The episode aired on the Travel Channel on Oct. 20, showing Richman slamming Tio’s legendary 5-pound nachos dubbed “Mount Nachessmo,” inhaling Krazy Jim’s feast of multi-patty burgers, and Maize & Blue Deli’s “Triple Play Reuben Sandwich”.

Students taking Jackson Ave. into Ann Arbor will drive right by nationally recognized Zingerman’s Roadhouse. The Roadhouse’s Head Chef Alex Young, father of sophomore Ethan Young, is responsible for the food that brings fame to the Roadhouse. Recently, he brought his macaroni and cheese, named one of the top comfort foods in the nation by The Food Network, to the cafeteria.

Available at all three lunches, the mac & cheese was a hit. Junior Jeff Baldus said, “It was different, but by far one of the best plates of mac & cheese I’ve ever had.”

The Squall’s website, www.thesquall.com, now not only contains monthly issues of the printed Squall, but the web staff also gives readers the inside scoop of what’s new. The new fully functional website offers tons of information with a click of the mouse. Want to find out the results of recent sports games? It’s available on the website.

The site now also contains photo stories, the ability to follow The Squall on Twitter and the ability to become a fan of the paper on Facebook.

Students with nothing to do and extra free time may want to check out Dexter Community Services.

For a small fee, students can do anything from taking snowmobile safety education to play on a men’s rec. basketball team. There are things to do for all ages, from kindergarten through adulthood.

There are also family events scheduled such as “Toe Tappin’ Music for Young and Old” and “Animal Safari: The Kelihari Safari”.

On Oct. 13 things escalated quickly between two students in a third floor classroom.

A sophomore student struck a freshman student in the hand with a pen, causing a wound that produced a mess of blood.

The students’ teacher called the office staff, who made the First Responder call to provide immediate medical attention to the student who was stabbed.

The victim was walked to the office. After being treated by the school nurse, he was interviewed by school administration to try to get to the bottom of the story and his parents were contacted.

He ended up not having serious injuries and went back to class that same week. The student who did the stabbing is not currently attending DHS pending an investigation by school and law enforcement officials.

Building a classroom for tomorrow was one of the main goals of Dexter Community Schools’ original bond proposal in November of 2008.

According to district technology director Matt Maciag, interactive whiteboards, sound systems, document cameras and new computers have been put introduced to classrooms.

A new phone system and new media distribution system are a few features to be installed later this school year.

NEWSbriefs NEWS

briefs

Pertussis hits recordhigh in countyRay Carpenter

copy editor

‘Man v. Food’ comes to Ann Arbor

Zingerman’s chef delivers his specialty

Squall website reconfigured, updated

DCS provides activities for students

Student stabbed by classmate

Bond still used to update technology

Illustration by Trevor Herman-Hilker

Feature3Friday, November 19, 2010

Value has never looked more attractive!

Dexter Plaza - next to Busch’s 426-6466 Open 7 days a week

Proud to be a contributing sponsor of the Dexter Dreadnaughts!

Haircuts • Styles • Homecoming & Prom Up-Dos

Every fall with tailgates at football games or during winter at the concession stands at basketball games, the money raised goes back to Dexter High School and Mill Creek Middle school athletes.

The Athletic Booster Club of Dexter (ABCD), is an all-volunteer organization that helps raise this money. The ABCD came into existence in 2000. It formed from another organization called the Athletic Advisory Committee that only helped communicate problems or concerns coming from coaches to Dexter’s athletic board.

The group decided that there needed to be another way to help the athletic programs other than being a middle-man between the teams and the board.

Now the organization helps Dexter sports, but needs the community to help them as well.

Facilities Coordinator Greg Wagner said ABCD is a good organization to have, as it allows parents to be involved in athletics.

“There is a lot of people in the community that want

to help,” Wagner said. “Parents know more information and that let us focus on teams being as good as they can be.”

And the community is important in the existence of ABCD according to current secretary and former president Cindy Glahn.

“(ABCD) couldn’t exist without the help of the supportive community,” Glahn said.

The tile drive in the DHS gym around the concession stand is used to raise money also. “You can buy a tile with your name on it, and it will be there as long as Dexter High School is here and the money raised goes to the athletic programs,” Glahn said.

Another major event took place recently, called the Booster Blast. It was a dance and silent auction for adults.

The ABCD has helped purchase items for various sports programs, including the scoreboard for the soccer field.

ABCD also helped fund the scoreboards for the baseball and softball fields, along with the wrestling mat hoist.

They also helped the Dexter Community Aquatics Club purchase a new scoreboard at the Wylie Pool, along with the tennis hit back wall.

Every year, ABCD sponsors an event called The Breakfast of Champions. This event honors the seniors and their athletic achievements.

Glahn said all the events put on by ABCD have always and will always help raise money for Dexter athletes.

And the community of Dexter has shown their support for the athletes and the programs according to Wagner. “All the help from the community helps us establish a structure,” he said. “It helps us find the most effective way to help.”

Boosting funds while boosting spirit

Long-time volunteer dies from pancreatic cancer

ABCD volunteers run fundraising events to help raise money for community athletics all the while bringing the community closer to the athletic programs

Toliver Rogersstaff writer

Photo Illustration by Kelsey Heilman

Mention this ad and receive 20% off

In 1963, Henry Thurston wanted to join the Dexter Football team as a freshman. So former Coach Al Ritt, who the stadium is named for, gave Henry the opportunity to become the team manager, and he has been a part of the football family since.

On Oct. 7 Thurston died, leaving behind his memories and influence on the football players, coaches and everyone he came in contact with.

“There are many words that would describe Henry Thurston,” varsity offensive line coach Mark Whitley said. “But the one word that stands out in my mind that would describe Henry Thurston would be loyal.”

Whitley remembers Thurston from Whitley’s days as a senior at Dexter High School. In 1982, the football team was at an away game at Saline. Saline was fourth in the state and a perfect 6-0. Dexter was 3-3 and were 40 point underdogs.

“When the final second ticked off the clock, it was Dexter 8 and Saline 7,” Whitley said. “I remember running off the field, and Henry was running on And just as I got to him, he jumped up in the air and I caught him. He was screaming, ‘We did it! We did it! We did it!’ Henry was as much a part of the team as I was.”

Head football coach Tom Barbieri and the other coaches called Thurston the most popular man in Dexter because people recognized that he loved the community of Dexter.

“It was his town,” Barbieri said. “He took great pride in it. (Thurston) influenced the people around him by showing people that he was happy in that simple world of his. He didn’t have many complications.”

Barbieri and Thurston spent a lot of time together, doing inventory for equipment after the season ended each year, talking about life while folding jerseys and knee pads.

“And I miss him even more because this is the time of year when we would do that,” Barbieri said.

One special memory Barbieri has of Thurston was a couple of years ago at a football game at Chelsea. Thurston was supposed to grab the tee after the kicker kicked the ball. But Thurston did not know the play was still going on when he ran out onto the field to attend to a football player he thought was down. Barbieri said the play was coming at Thurston, and the football players had to run around him as he made his way back to the Dexter bench.

“This showed us that Henry was very dedicated to doing his job,” Barbieri said. “He could have ran to the Chelsea bench and been safe, but he knew he had to get to the Dexter sideline.”

Thurston also was very influential in the lives of football players. Junior AJ Korte said Thurston never complained, even if it was hot or muggy or cold or rainy. He was just happy to be there, doing the small jobs that needed to be done.

“He never let the little things bother him,” Korte said. “He was easygoing and easy to talk to. He would be your best friend.”

Korte said Thurston’s favorite football drill to watch was “Hoot and Holler,” which was an inter-team competition where players would see who wanted it the most. This year, however, Thurston could not participate with the football players as much as he wanted to.

“I wish he would have made it to the Chelsea game,” Korte said. “It was the best game we played against them.”

A year ago, Thurston came to the coaches at the end of the football season to tell them he was diagnosed as a diabetic. It worried him. And as he was treated for diabetes, it also worried his friends and family since he was rapidly losing weight.

Near the end of May, he said he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He continued to serve as he had always done, but with difficulty. “He felt bad that he couldn’t do it as well as before,” Barbieri said.

In his 62 years of life, Thurston had influenced the people of Dexter through his good works and his loyalty to the many clubs to which he belonged.

According to Whitley, Thurston was loyal to many clubs and communities. For over 40 years he was loyal to the Catholic Church in Dexter. He was a fourth degree member to the Knights of Columbus. He was faithful to the American Legion. For over 50 years he worked at the Dexter bakery. He was also a loyal fan of the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Detroit Red Wings and the University of Michigan football program.

For 47 years he had been a part the Dexter football family.“I am very fortunate to have met Henry Thurston,”

Whitley said. “It is a shame that not everyone gets the chance to meet such a great person. I will miss you Henry.”

Kaitlin Gotcherstaff writer

What some may call a poking epidemic has become a major trend on Facebook for junior Taylor Cassidy.

“The thrill of receiving that text on your phone from Facebook saying you’ve been poked is just amazing” Cassidy said. Cas-sidy is just one of the many students who are involved in numerous poking wars.

Users can poke everyone on Facebook. Users of Facebook poke someone by going to a person’s profile and clicking on the but-ton that reads “poke (name of recipient).”

The goal of a poke war is basically to go back and forth poking people back as fast as you can.

Senior Nicole Minzey started numerous poking wars this month by jokingly hacking students’ Facebook accounts. Junior Jacob Van Hoof was one of many whose account was hacked.

“I logged on to Facebook one day, and I had almost 100 pokes, many from people I didn’t know. All thanks to Nicole Minzey,” Van Hoof said, “I poked the people I knew back, and now a lot of poking wars have come from it.”

Cassidy said she is involved in about 30 poking wars with students such as junior Katie Eberbach, senior Karley Crawford and even Principal Kit Moran. So what exactly causes people to want to poke one another? Cassidy said, “It’s because of the urge to express utter silliness towards a person.”

Cassidy says she enjoys the silliness of poke wars, however Eberbach takes them a bit more seriously. She thinks there is a clear winner and loser.

“I’m totally winning the poke war be-tween Taylor and I” Eberbach said, “No doubt about it.” The real question, however, is how exactly does someone “win” a poke war?

“The way you win a poke war on Facebook is by demoralizing your opponent”junior Stephanie Matich said, “By sitting on Face-book every second of the day, you are able to quickly poke your enemy back as soon as they poke you. This intimidates them and eventually, they surrender.”

Not every student is a fan of poking on Facebook though. Take senior Katie Taylor

for example, she hates it.“Poking is so annoying,” Taylor said, “I

hate it when people poke me and I hate pok-ing people. It’s pointless. Karley Crawford always pokes me, and she’s the only person I ever poke back because I love her.”

Crawford, who is involved in numerous poking wars, says she enjoys poking people.

“I like to poke people because when I poke them I feel a connection with them and it’s also fun to creep” Crawford said.

So how long is this virtual poking trend expected to go on for?

“It’ll definitely be around for generations to come,” Cassidy said.

TopDub Step Artists

1. skream

2. Caspa

3. Benga

4. kode9

5. Joker

6. rusko

7. burial

8. Distance

9. Subscape

Tired of listening to the same songs over and over again on the radio, some students have turned to a new exciting genre of music: Dubstep, a new version of electronic dance music that originated in the United Kingdom.

One of the first Dubstep scenes was in Croydon, a part of South London. Dubstep is a relatively new genre of music and is only beginning to take hold in the United States. It is still mainly an underground scene, which is part of its appeal to fans such as senior Lisa Crompton.

Crompton credits 2010 graduate Max Berry for her interest in dub step. “Any new dubstep I find, Max shows me,” Crompton said. Crompton most recently saw Deadmau5 in concert and Skrillex, an artist that

incorporates Dubstep into his live shows, opened for him. Crompton described the experience as “music having an orgasm.”

Berry said he discovered the genre last fall even though it’s been around for a while. The complexness of the genre is what makes it so interesting and differ-ent. “It has such a new and refreshing sound, but as a genre it covers such a broad range of moods and styles, from calm and ambient stuff by people like Burial, Martyn and Ikonika to the more hardcore end of the spectrum including Flux Pavilion and Borgore,”Berry said.

While London is the epicenter for dubsteb, students don’t need to cross the Atlantic to experience good dubstep.

There are many local artists such as Bliss from Grand Rapids and K@dog from Ann Arbor. SoulFlex Entertainment is an organization that produces Soul-

flex, which they describe as “an open community for creative expression through art, music, nightlife and social networking” Soulflex Entertainment puts on shows featuring local Dubstep artists on at Sava’s, located on State Street in Ann Arbor and BTB Cantina, which is located on South University in Ann Arbor.

Berry said “Digging deep and finding a cool song or label or artist is always a rewarding ex-perience, and since dubstep is still on its way up, supporting undiscovered artists is a way to participate in the movement.”

Entertainment 4Friday, November 19, 2010

Dub step hits Dhs

Poking a facebook fadKristie Duve

“Whip My Hair”by Willow Smith

“Whip it real good.”

Toliver Rogers

“Too Fake”by Big Sean

“Obviously I’m paid.”

Steve Miller

“Stand by me”by Ben E. King

“Ray Carpen-ter, the man, the legend, the kid that no one really knows.”

Emily Papstaff writer

Nicole Minzeyentertainment editor

facefacts

• A poking war may only be declared if you are poked three times or more by the same person within a 24 hour period.

• A poking war must be declared publicly, which can be done by post-ing a comment on the wall of the other person’s Facebook profile.

• Junior Stephanie Matich has received 349 pokes in a single day from 349 different individuals.

•You can poke people you aren’t friends with on Facebook.

Source: http://facebook.com/group and Steph-anie Matich

Photo by P4k

Dubstep DJ Skream performs in a basement, adding to the underground scene aspect of Dubstep

Photo by Ratinafunk

Dubstep DJ Kode9 performs for a group of people .

David LaMore

“Down On Me”by Keenan Cahill featuring 50 Cent

“Keenan is a straight thug.”

Marshall Kellenberger

“I Feel Better”by Hot Chip

“$20 to anyone who can give me the meaning of the music video.”

Staff Playlist

photos used with permission of artists

Sports5Friday, November 19, 2010

In February of 2008, the Dexter varsity basketball team lost a close, one-point game to Ann Arbor Huron. Although the final score was a disappointment to Dave LaMore, a 6’7 freshman at the time, it was the beginning of his path to Cornell University. In one of his early games on the varsity squad, LaMore scored 21 points.

LaMore points to this game as one of the first times he realized he would have a chance to play basketball in college, and possibly get recruited to play somewhere in Division I.

Now a 6’9 senior, LaMore verbally committed to the Cornell University Big Red to play basketball on October 14. LaMore, a center entering his fourth year of varsity basketball, will get financial aid from the university, and will pay little to nothing to attend the school.

But Cornell was not the only school recruiting LaMore. Navy, Tulane, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, the University of Detroit, James Madison, and Eastern Kentucky all recruited him, along with 10 to 15 other schools. According to LaMore, Cornell, Navy, Tulane, James Madison, Northwood, and Hillsdale all offered him scholarships or financial aid of some sort.

His decision to commit to Cornell was not an easy one. And if it weren’t for his patience and some advice from Coach Randy Swoverland, LaMore says that he may not have come to that decision. “I didn’t think Cornell was as interested as they were, and it initially was down to Navy and Tulane,” LaMore said, “but Coach Swoverland told me to wait and see how things would go with Cornell, and eventually they showed their interest.”

Swoverland said that he did play a small role in the recruitment process but wanted to leave most of it to LaMore.

“It was ultimately Dave’s decision,’ he said, “I only tried to help him keep everything in perspective and not make too hasty of a decision. He almost committed to Navy before he really had a chance to look at some other options, one being Cornell.”

According to LaMore, once Cornell began recruiting him heavily, the decision became a lot more difficult because of how quickly the school was moving. He made an official visit to the university in mid-October, and made the verbal commitment while there.

Now that a decision has been made, LaMore says that things have relaxed quite a bit. Swoverland points to four main factors that made Cornell a good fit for LaMore. Swoverland said, “Dave is a good player. Dave is 6’9 tall. Dave is a solid citizen. And Dave is an excellent student. I think if you took any of those four factors away this whole result would be different.”

LaMore’s high school basketball career is not over, though. His senior season approaches, and both LaMore and Swoverland say they are expecting big things this year.

As a junior, LaMore averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was rewarded with first-team all SEC honors.

LaMore was also named to the Class A All-Washtenaw County first team by AnnArbor.com.

According to LaMore, he and his team have a solid chance to win the conference. “If we work hard, the team has a chance to have a great year with the talent and coaching on the team,” LaMore said, “personally, I want to make the All-State team and improve my rebounding numbers drastically and pass the ball well.”

While personal achievements and accolades are nice, LaMore said that the team comes first. “Whatever it takes

for the team to win, I’m willing to do.” Swoverland agreed with LaMore’s ideological

approach to the season, saying, “I expect Dave to do everything he can to make our team as good as it can

be this year. That means disregarding personal stats for the sake of team success. I also expect him to be a leader and make his teammates better.”

LaMore’s success on the court is not the only reason he will be attending an Ivy League school

next year. Thanks to his 3.9 GPA and a 26 on the ACT, he

has the grades to attend one of the more prestigious schools in the country.

“My parents never went to college, and I have the opportunity to make a lot of money if I work hard,” LaMore said. For this reason, the idea of

playing at a school like Cornell is very appealing. LaMore also added, “I’m going to get to play

Division I basketball as a true freshman for free and attend one of the top schools in the country. What more could I ask for?”

LaMore will not only play at Cornell, but he will likely play a lot. “I’ll certainly have the

opportunity to take on a solid role and play some as a Freshman,” he said,”I’m excited to get that chance.”

Through everything, though, LaMore still remembers that night as a freshman, putting up 21 against a very good Huron team. That’s where everything started and where

everything will come back to.“The 21 point performance in an

early varsity game, breaking the rim in districts, beating Huron, Pioneer,

and Ypsi, dunking on Chelsea; all of these events were really great, memorable moments for me,” LaMore said. “I’m certainly going to miss some of it.”

LaMore signs with Cornell

p90x provides intense workout

Jacob Van Hoofstaff writer

Many people call it insane. They call it more than intense. They say someone would have to be more than dedicated to participate in such a workout. That may make senior Andrew Erber a madman, because he has participated in the workout called p90x.

The p90x workout claims to tone your body and allow for better health.

When Erber participated in p90x, he assumed this type of workout would help him become the best athlete he could be. The two sport varsity athlete was right.

“It has helped a ton, but it’s tough at first,” Erber said, “But you get used to it pretty quickly. You have to be able to lift your body weight with just your arms. Otherwise there’s not really a point. There’s lots of different types of pull ups, push ups and other arm workouts. You also have to enjoy lifting dumb bells.”

P90x enthusiasts say that one will never get bored, because of the fact that the intense workout introduces so many different movements and workouts for the body. They call this muscle confusion, which takes place when the body is introduced to multiple new acts in a certain time period.

It’s a 13-week training session where the athlete would work out at least six days out of the week.

They say all that is needed is a chin up bar and dumbbells. But if someone were to partake in this workout, they should prepare to use both of these things a lot, according to Erber.

“It’s really tiring, but I think it’s definitely worth it,” Erber said. “It has done nothing but helped me. Ever since I finished, I have been in much better shape. Everything on my body seems stronger. My core and my arms are the most noticeable, but I have to say, that oddly enough my muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance are much better, and I feel like I am

now an elite athlete.”“ Not only has this helped me in the short run, but I know for a

fact that this workout will stick with me in the long run, because it has taught me so many different things that I will be able to do for the rest of my life. I am excited to see the benefits that it has brought me come hockey season.”

Erber’s hockey season is now under way, and he said P90X has made him twice the player.

Erber isn’t the only one who believes this workout is more than helpful.

Leah Gagnon, Dexter High School athletic trainer feels the same way.

“Its a great workout, As an athletic trainer , I feel as if people have experienced the most success from this workout.”

Gagnon, who works at Medsport, said that most of the people who participated in p90x are successful.

Though Gagnon said the workout is a good one, she also said people may use it as a first step workout, meaning they expect to see direct results right away. This may not happen.

“Its a great workout, but you have to be in shape before starting it,” Gagnon said. “It has to be used as something that just tones and shreds your body. It’s not really the workout to use if you just want to lose weight, or when you are just starting to exercise. The workout is very advanced.”

Erber agreed. “I was already in descent shape, but this workout actually put me to my peak. I can’t wait to prove my dominance,” he said. The workout has 12 instructional videos which give step by step instructions, and Erber said that the videos are inspirational.

“Throughout the whole video, the instructor would say that the x stands for extreme at random times. It made me want to finish even when I wanted to take a break,” Erber said.

That makes the point that the workout isn’t for the type of people who aren’t willing to push themselves.

Erber said, “I recommend this workout, but only to self-inspired people. You have to be willing to better yourself every day.”

Winter Sports Preview

Mens basketball As basketball tryouts are just around the corner, head coach Randy

Swoverland said he is preparing for the start of the 2010-11 season. “Right now we’re just finishing up open gyms and weightlifting”, Swoverland said. “Open gyms are just to get everyone back into the groove of playing basketball, so no one has really improved from that. However those who have been attending the weightlifting have shown improvements in strength”

Key games for Dexter this season will be Chelsea, of course, and Ypsilanti: “Ypsi will be a big game because they are defending champs and had a great JV team last season”, Swoverland said. “As of right now our strengths are point guard and post because we have seniors Matt Muchmore and Dave LaMore returning. As for our weaknesses, we have an inexperienced bench of mostly juniors along with weak perimeter shooting. We’ll use our first four non-conference games to our advantage and see where we need to improve, and when we return after winter break. We should be ready to start the real season, we’ll see what happens from there” Swoverland said.

Womens BasketballFor the girls team returning seniors Serena Bidwell and Sara Moir

say their team has a lot of talent. “For the upcoming players, we see a lot of potential. There are a lot of all girls that are tall that will add depth to the forward position and center,”Moir said. As for the returners, there will be quite a few players returning. These include seniors Zaryn Jennings, Nyki Caldwell and Kasey Swoverland, junior Olivia Cares, and sophomores Riley McDonald, Teia McGahey. “Our strengths are that we have solid starters along with the forward, center, and guard positions. That doesn’t mean the other positions are weak. It’s just that there aren’t a whole lot of girls that play the three spot,” Moir said.

Key match ups this season for the girls will be Pioneer, Adrian and of course Chelsea: “We lost to Pioneer last year in districts, and this year we will get payback. Adrian is a key game because every year we are always fighting to be SEC champions, and Chelsea because they’re our rivals” Bidwell said.

If everything goes according to planned, the girls should make it to regionals: “If we put in a lot of hard work and focus, we should make regionals no problem,” Bidwell said. But since the season is just getting started we still have a lot of uncertainty about the team” said Bidwell. “We would like for more people to be in the student section during our games along with more conjoined games with the boys team” .

HockeyAs tryouts are just finishing up for hockey, senior captain Andrew

Erber prepares for his last season for Dexter. “As of right now, I see our offense as our weak point on the team. We lost two all state forwards last year due to graduation, so this year we will have a lot of new kids on the team, and those who were bench players last year will be starting” Erber said. “However, our strong points will definitely be defense. We have five out of six of our defensive men returning this year.” As the fall season is just finishing up, Erber said he feels that the fall season helps us prepare for the regular season because it works out a lot of the rust that built up during the off season. Unfortunately, this season will most likely not be as good as last season. “Like I said before, we lost a lot of our great players last year, so it will be hard to go very far this season,” Erber said. “As for our coaching staff, we have a really good defense/goalie coach that will help throughout the season”. On December 5th the hockey team will play a game outdoors at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor: “It will be a great experience to play at the Big House for my senior year, and it would be a great opportunity for people to come watch us play,” Erber said.

WrestlingThis year in wrestling, junior Drew Barnes hopes to start his first

season as a captain. “Over the summer a lot of us such as Josh Cash, Evan Oxner, Kevin Paulun, Shawn Chamberlain and myself attended various summer camps and clinics to help us prepare for this season,” Barnes said. “This season will most likely be one of our best. Each grade has some really good talent. Our lightweights and heavyweights are very solid, the middle is solid but will contain a lot of competition, making for a solid lineup which should get us some wins” said Barnes. Key matchups this season for the wrestling team will be Tecumseh and Chelsea. “Chelsea will be important because last year they beat us pretty bad, and I just can’t stand losing” Barnes said. “I’m looking forward to this season because like I said once before, we have a solid team. We all work really well together and produce a positive vibe among the team. It’s just a great situation” “I’m also looking forward to being a starter and a possible captain for the team”.

Taylor Schmidtstaff writer

Mens swim and diveSwim coach Michael McHugh is preparing for his sixth season. “ This

is our best team out of the five years I’ve coached here” McHugh said. We are strong from top to bottom, and I can see at least 15 guys who will contend for state cuts”. Some potential state qualifiers include senior Stephen Sobczak, senior Austin Daugherty, junior Jake Clafflin, and sophomore Jonathan Zofchak. “As for the freshmen, I don’t know too much about them,” McHugh said. “They are a small class but hopefully they will be talented. With our depth we have, we should be able to win SECs for the 13th straight year and be in contention for the state championships”. Key match ups for the swim/dive team this season will be Pioneer, Toledo St. Francis and Saline. “Pioneer and Toledo St. Francis are consistently tough, and Saline is the defending Division 1 state champions,” McHugh said. “Like I said before this is the best team out of the five years I’ve coached here, and our goal is to win SECs then contend for the state championship. I also hope to get as many guys to states as we can. We have an even shot because we have 10 returning state qualifiers,” McHugh said.

After a long process of recruiting, , senior Dave LaMore finally made the commit-ment to play basketball at the Cornell University. Not only does LaMore expect to play this his freshmen year, but he said he also plans to start.

Photo by Kristie Duve, photo illustration by Claire Berger

Tucker Whitleysports editor

p90facts• The workout system in-cludes 12 workouts that over such areas as resistance training, cardiovascular exer-cise, and core-conditioning.

• One feature behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called “Muscle Confusion,” which constantly introduces new moves and routines to keep the body from getting bored.

Get Involved 6Friday, November 19, 2010

Dexter info 734-476-1443 7 day access pass-New customers

8015 Huron StreetDexter, MI 48130(734) 426-1900

Spark

Officers:Senior Lisa Crompton, presi-dent; senior Dan Stefanski, vice-presi-dent. Looking for more officers.

Meetingtime/day: Every Wednesday after school at 3 p.m. in English teacher Jo Muszkiewicz's room.

Basicdescription: “Doing something nice for people to spark someone's day. Paying it forward,” Crompton said.

5 dollars off any Entree with this ad

4699 East Loch Alpine Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48103(734) 426-4693

Wednesday Through Saturday: 4 p.m. to 9

VegetarianClub

Officers: Sophomores Carly Cash, Jacob Caldwell and Emily Allen.

Meetingtime/day: Every Wednesday after school from 3 to 4 p.m. in social studies teacher Ethan Konett’s room.

BasicDescription: “I put it together because I felt like vegetarians should get together,” Cash said. “The club’s purpose is to educate vegetarians and let them know that they don’t have to eat just sal-ads. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to join. It’s not necessarily for vegetarians but for anyone who is curious.”

New clubs offer opportunitiesSirah Camara

Trends Editor

• Officers: Junior Erin Steptoe, president; junior Alison Pallo, vice-president; junior Natalie Emerick, secretary; junior Kayla Pio, treasurer.

• Meetingtime: Every Wednesday morning at 7:15 a.m. in social studies teacher Al Snider’s room 577

• To help out the community and the school in anyway possible. “I love being able to help people who need it. The feeling is really re-warding,” Steptoe said, “to join just go to a meeting and fill out a form to be recognized as a Leo.”

Student Council• Officers: Senior Caitlyn Molloy, president; junior Rachael Parr, vice-president; junior Sirah Camara , treasurer; freshmen Drew Daugherty, secretary

• Meetingtime/day: Every Tuesday morning at 7:15 a.m. in English teacher Debora Marsh’s room 515.

• Basicdescription: “It’s a good way to get involved with the school and the community. If someone wants to join the club, then they can just show up at the meetings on Tuesday mornings at 7:15 a.m. or talk to Mrs. Marsh,” Molloy said.

Leo’s Club

Interact Club

• Officers:Senior Kelsey Heilman, president; senior Cameron Maisch, vice-president; senior Paul Parker, secretary; senior Brandon Caniff, treasurer.

• Meetingtime/day: 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.

• Basicdescription:A service club for young people ages 14-18. The club gives students the opportunity to participate in fun, mean-ingful service projects that help develop leadership skills. Interact is an international organization that fosters leadership and responsible citizenship as well as promoting internal understanding and peace. The goal is for the student members to come up with ideas and events that they can run bi-monthly. “Interact is a new DHS club committed to helping out, both locally and internationally,” Maisch said.

Swing Dance Club

• Officers: Seniors Corey Bowen and Kayla Chenault

• Meetingtime/day:Every Saturday 3-5 p.m. in the park behind Buschs.

• Basicdescription: To teach people how to swing dance.

“Swing dancing is a style of dance that was really popular in the 1930s and 1940s, but is still fairly popular today. We teach people moves starting with the basic step and even teach aerials, such as flips. Although, what we do actually looks compli-cated at first glance, swing dancing is fun and fairly easy to learn. We encour-age anyone and everyone to join; you really only need to show up. We cur-rently meet Tuesdays after school in room 505 and have occasional Saturday practices. Also we will be having a workshop to introduce people to swing sometime in December,” Chenault said.

Heals over head: Senior Ian Charpie flips senior Laura Taylor during swing dance practice. Both are regular attendants of swing dance club.

Photo by Charlotte Knoerl-Morrill

illustrations by Marne Little

Opinion7Friday, November 19, 2010

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Marne Little

MANAGING EDITOR:Connor Thompson

EDITORSDESIGN: Claire BergerNEWS: Kevin SkiverFEATURES: Steve Miller ENTERTAINMENT: Nicole MinzeyOPINIONS: Dave LaMorePHOTO: Kristie DuveSPORTS: Tucker WhitleyTRENDS: Sirah CamarauPAGE: Marshall KellenbergerCOPY: Ray CarpenterWEB: Emily Darrow, Rachel Lomax

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERSLindsey Gagneau, Logan Boostra, Shannon Gronvall, Christine Wolyniak, Joey King, Leah Drinkard, Sarah Dobrei, Rachel Lomax, Jackie Talley

MANAGERSADVERTISEMENT: Kelsey Heilman

STAFF WRITERSEmily Pap, Kaitlyn Gotcher, Jacob Van Hoof, Sarah Molnar, Toliver Rogers, Nicole Ferguson, Taylor Schmidt, Murphy Hansen, Carl Schimmel, Derek Fead, Joel Gowen

CARTOONISTTrevor Herman-Hilker

ADVISERRod Satterthwaite

POLICY:

The Squall is distributed monthly to 1,300students and is estimated to reach 4,786people with each issue. The Squall is printed by the Owosso Argus Press in Owosso, Michigan and produced by the third hour newspaper class.

TALK BACK:

The Squall is an open forum for student expression. It accepts letters to the editorfrom any and all concerned parties. The Squall reserves the right to screen and/or edit any and all letters for inappropriate content and length. All letters must be signed.

Requests to remain anonymous will be considered by the editorial board.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

The Squall Twitter is updated daily givingthe latest news going around DHS.

@DHS_Squaller

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK:

The Squall on Facebook provides people with links and updates going on with the Squall and around Dexter.

VISIT THE NEW SQUALL WEBSITE:www.thesquall.com

SquallThe

I have known and believed in a Sept. 11 conspiracy theory for years. Many people not only do not believe in these conspiracy theories but have never heard of them. So let me shed some light on the subject.

On Sept. 11, 2001 four commercial airplanes were hijacked by 19 Al-Queda’s terrorists. The hijackers crashed one plane into each of the World Trade Center towers, one plane into the Pentagon, and one plane into a field near Shanksville, PA.

The attacks have been attributed to retribution for America’s invasion of Afghanistan during the Cold War, as well as Al-Qaeda’s hate for America’s moral and religious insolence.

But were the attacks of Sept. 11 really the result of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan more than 20 years ago? Are more than 3,000 people dead because of religious differences in a country 4,000 miles away?

If I have learned anything, it is nothing gets done unless there is a monetary reward involved and the paper trail of 9/11, it leads right to the Vice-president at the time, Dick Cheney.

Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton, a leading U.S. weapons manufacturer, before becoming the VP.

During his time as VP, Cheney owned a considerable portion of Halliburton stock and was receiving paychecks from Halliburton as an employee of the company.

So, what is Halliburton’s involvement in the events of Sept. 11? Well, they were not involved. But during the invasion of Afghanistan and War in Iraq, occurred as a direct result of the terrorist attacks; Halliburton supplied all of the weapons, tanks, and most of the supplies the US Army used in these wars. In fact, Halliburton made over $17.2 billion from the invasion of Afghanistan and war in Iraq according to businesspundit.com.

During the Iraq War, Halliburton’s stock went up over 3000 percent, earning Cheney a large sum of money. This is reason enough for Cheney to start the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

So, what is the best way to start a war? First, incite anger in the populous using the events of Sept. 11. Second, target someone like Osama Bin Laden and Al-Queda. Third, use fear of the target to gain support for the war. And finally, encourage nationalism and patriotism to gain populous support for the war.

And the plan worked perfectly. With the help of media outlets like Fox News and CNN, the US government pulled off the biggest scam of the 20th century.

The truth about 9/11

People used to pay to see cartoons in movie theaters. Kids would wake up early just to see their favorite toons. Fast forward to 2010 with whole TV channels dedicated to awful, plot less, obnoxiously loud cartoons.

This turn for the worse began in the late ‘90s when channels such as Cartoon Network and Nickelodean cancelled shows such as “The Rugrats,” “Angry Beaver,” “Doug,” “Hey Arnold,” “The Wild Thornberrys,” “Rocket Power,” and “Cousin Skeeter.”

Ever since Nickelodeon’s decline, it has filled its air time with such atrocities as “Zoey 101” and “iCarly.” Nick has even tried to acheive their former glory by running series called “Rugrats: All Grown Up” but failed miserably.

Nickeldeon used to appeal to a much wider audience: kids from the age of 5-14 could enjoy the same show. More recent Nickelodeon shows, however, are less and less creative.

For instance, I have seen the same storyline at least four separate times in different shows. As soon as the show starts, I already know where it is going to end, appealing to a smaller-minded audience.

The shows used to be full of new, exciting plot lines, twisting and winding until finally ending at a satisfying resolution. “The Rugrats,” for example every adventure enthrawled loyal viewers. I thoroughly remember several episodes with vivid detail. The cartoons were full of pure entertainment for humorous purposes. Now they try to toss education and morals in.

It could just be because I have gotten older, but it seems as if kids these days rely more on video games than TV for entertainment. When I was a tot, my friends used to come over, and we would catch an episode of “Rocket Power,” then go outside and pretend to be our favorite charecters.

I find it sad that a once-popular form of media is almost extinct. Cartoons are not only becoming less intelligent but also becoming harder to find.

Such shows as “Big Time Rush,” “Victorious” and “The Troop” fill the air time. They are poorly written, poorly acted shows that try to portray an over-dramatized lifestyle that kids think is OK.

But the worst thing about all of this is bringing your kids up on these awful shows. Teamed with “Jersey Shore,” these shows will create an uprising of kids with a sub 80 IQ.

After three years of trimesters, there’s a strong possibility that we are going back to semesters next year.

Changing from semesters to trimeters was a confusing problem for students just three years ago, and students may be facing the same problem next year adjusting to the new schedules.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program could be part of what would cause the school to change schedules again, but switching back to semesters will only complicate things. Despite what may happen, we need to stay with trimesters. They are what’s best for students.

There are scheduling issues in the beginning of every year, leaving students waiting at the counseling office for weeks with empty hours and classes they shouldn’t be in.

With the change back to semesters, the question is how long will students have to wait now? A month? Will they even be able

to enroll in a class or will students be stuck in the counseling office for a whole semester? Scheduling drama will likely get worse under a semester.

Next year there will be no students who have had semesters during high school. No student will have the experience of managing work under semesters so it will be a tough transition for every student, not just some. Students will have to change the way they study and prepare for classes.

And instead of studying for five classes, students may have to study for seven classes, if a seven-period semester schedule is adapted. Students will have less time to focus on individual classes if they have to study for seven classes every night instead of five.

To further complicate things, teachers are going to have to re-plan the way they teach because classes could be as short as 48 minutes under a seven period day. Teachers will to have to rearrange when they assign worksheets, projects, tests and homework.

Instead of focusing on the material they are teaching, teachers will be worried about when and how to deliver material to the students under a new schedule.

So while those who support a change to semesters may say the schedule changes better fit the IB program, students already have an opportunity to take advanced courses such as AP classes.

These courses challenge students and give them variety without a major scheduling rehash.

A change back to semesters, then, will force students to change the way they learn, study and manage time. Most importantly, teachers will have to rearrange their classes to fit the new schedules, something that they did just three years ago.

We think the school should stay with trimesters, reducing the confusion that will erupt with semesters. No schedule is perfect. But from a students point of view trimesters are better than any other option out there.

What happened toNickelodeon?

Change to semesters is a bad idea

Derek Feadstaff writer

Steve Millerfeature editor

Illustration by Trevor Herman-Hilker

Photostory 8Friday, November 19, 2010

Opened on Oct. 23, Lazer Planet isn’t just your regular laser tag; it’s much more according to owner Gary Ouillette.

“Lazer Planet is unique to southeast Michigan,” Ouillette said. “It’s a laser system, so there’s no infrared which makes it more accurate. Everything is glow in the dark in our interactive maze. There are seven or eight different types of organized games rather than just running around playing tag. You don’t just shoot at people.

You can shoot at the home bases, and it will shoot back. It’s a different atmosphere all together and a different experience.”

Lazer Planet is located next to Cottage Inn Pizza. And according to Ouillette, the location is what pushed him to open Lazer Planet. “I’ve wanted to open a laser tag in the past, and this location is the right choice,” Ouillette said. “It’s simple entertainment and small towns around can use it.”

Ouillette said he hopes students will come out and give

Lazer Planet a try. “We have a lot of specials on

the way, and we would like to get involved with the students. We’re hoping to set up discounts, memberships and even some leagues because that hasn’t been tried by anyone yet. Right now we have punch cards where if you play six games you get one free. We hope it is a big success because of the demand of parties in the area. We’re optimistic that Dexter is the place to be and to help boost the downtown area.”

Marne Littleeditor-in-chief

For extra support, the vest is clipped together while playing. If you have to dodge a laser, the vest will not fall off.

Get Ready: The laser game area is closed off from the front of the store in order to keep things interesting and the game room dark. The game is started and ended from this room, where the vests are located.

The neon colors of the laser tag game room cause clothing to glow. For this reason, it is best to wear black in order to be nearly invisible while playing the game.

Gear up: Before playing participants have to put one of these vests on and go over the game rules. This room separates the arcade from the laser course.

Get ready to play: Lazer Planet manager Joe Ouillette helps his employee Matt run the front desk during open hours.

Game time: There are many arcade games to play while waiting for laser tag. Players can earn a variety of prizes for winning these games.

LASER TAG

The laser gun is used to “shoot” the other players with a infrared laser light. The process is simple. Press the grey button on the inner handle to shoot.

The white patches of the vest are the targets of other players. If you hit any-one of these spots, you are guaranteed points toward your team.

Game on: The arcade is available before a game of laser tag. Games include Wheel of Fortune and pinball machines.

photo and Illustration by Kelsey Heilman

Photos by Kristie Duve

New teen hangout opens downtown