0708-2

October 26, 2007 - Volume XVIII - Issue 2 - Dexter High School - 2200 N. Parker Road - Dexter, Mi 48130

For the past 17 months, students have been forced to take various detours around Dexter. Fi-nally, with the opening of Parker Road and Baker Road, some students can cut the amount of time and gas it takes to travel.

“(Taking) Parker (Road to school) saves me five to 10 minutes and a good amount of gas for wherever Iʼm going,” senior Megan Helber said. “Iʼm always running late, so hopefully Parker will help me get places on time.”

Helber lives off Liberty, between Zeeb and Parker Road. After trying Zeeb to Dexter-Ann Arbor and dirt roads like Dancer and Marshall, Helber found the fastest way to get around was the highway from Zeeb to Baker, another road under construction.

Robert Poor, District Director of Transporta-tion, said, “Parker Road has had the greatest im-pact on our service and traffic patterns in general. When the bridge was closed near the end of the 2005 school year, (Dexter) had to reroute three different buses that serve the south side of our district. Buses had limited options to and from school.”

Principal Kit Moran said he also recognizes the difficulty construction places on students and buses trying to get to school. “Weʼre a pretty land locked building,” he said. “Baker is still a prob-lem for people.”

In addition to the Baker Road construction, there is talk about more construction around Dex-ter. According to http://www.wcroads.org, future projects include replacing the Main Street Bridge over Mill Creek and rehabilitating the East Delhi Road bridge over the Huron River.

It is the center of town, however, that affects the most people. “The biggest current problem we face is the increase in traffic in and around the village and our inability to travel over the Main Street bridge,” Poor said.

Last year, empty buses were able to cross over the bridge because the weight limit was 10 tons. At the end of last school year, however, the weight limit was reduced to seven tons. “We are unable to drive any buses over the bridge,” Poor said.

According to Moran, however, students will just have to wait for the changes. “A lot of con-struction they do, they talk about it for a really long time,” Moran said. “We just gotta deal with it when it comes.”

SquallTHE

Traffic returns to normal after 17 monthsParker Road bridge and Baker Road/I-94 are finally open after long periods of construction for improvements

Disarray surrounding the completion of 504 plans has lead to disgruntled teachers, helpless counselors and overly exerted ad-ministrators.

The term “504” refers to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The section lays out the rights public school students have in acquiring special accommodations due to a difficulty or inability in performing major life activities. Major life activities in-clude, but are not limited to, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking and breathing.

“Many years ago the federal government identified a gap in service to some students,” Principal Kit Moran said. “504 is a federal code section that, based on qualifications, al-lows students to access a continuum of ser-vices.”

Though qualification is often a gray area, Moran said to be considered for a 504 plan a student must be able to provide

See 504 on page 3

Issues arise over execution

of 504 plans

Photos by Jeff Leonard

Austin Shapiroeditor-in-chief

Michelle Chirbycopy editor

Free at last: Cars finally are able to have some breathing room while driving down Baker Road near the I-94 ramps. Baker Road was widened due to construction on these ramps.

New and improved: The Parker Road bridge enables students as well as residents of Dexter to move freely through town once again after 17 months. With Parker bridge open residents no longer have to detour around it to get to the high school.

Illustration by Marcia Grace

SEC team changes make it hard for students to play in more then one sport

See page 9

Check out The Rostrum to find out about the presiden-tial election 08

See The Rostrum pages 4-5

What would you do if you could be a teacher for a day? Find out what David Pisano would do.

See page 10

22 The SquallFriday, October 26, 2008

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Ban deodorant uses Dexter for webisodesNic Millerstaff writer

A trace of deodorant lingers in the air around the unnoticed farm house off Dexter-Chelsea Road. In addition to the hint of fragrance, a persistent sound of an electric generator hums, all remnants of the shooting of a se-ries of Ban Deodorant’s webisode, Stinkton Heights.

Make up artists, producers, lights, camera men, cameras and zombies were in Dexter on Sept.. 15. All were part of an advertising plan to help revamp the deodorant into a product for the young, hip, teenage girl gen-eration from a product once know strictly for the elderly.

The webisode is to be set in an American small town, and Dexter was close to Enlighten, a fi rm in Ann Arbor which specializes in Internet services, so it was an ideal location, according to one of the producers, Danika Von Gesjen. Von Gesjen also said Dexter had a town square neces-sary for the fi lm, and the producers had connections to two of the houses in Dexter, and a permit was not need-ed to shoot.

Some of the other locations where the fi lm was shot were Chelsea, Ann Arbor and Community High School.

The idea behind using these webi-sodes or Internet video commer-cials, according to Von Gesjen, was to create a fun and engaging way to advertise and inform teenage girls of KAO’s product, Ban deodorant.

KAO is a Japanese corporation that owns several other companies along with Ban including Biore, Curel, Guhl, Jergens and John Frieda.

Von Gesjen said, “Most young adults are very Internet savvy, and this is where fun, offbeat advertise-ment has found its home, and the Web allows us to be more offbeat, fun and silly with it and our product and content.”

The video webisode sets up a story very much like that of “Night of the Living Dead.”

The webisode begins with a girl moving to a new town where she quickly discovers odd behavior fol-lowed by a strange scent coming from the other residents of the town. She soon becomes aware of the town’s smelly secret. The new girl eventually saves the town full of rank zombies through a series of webisodes using Ban deodorant.

The webisodes will be available online at www.FeelBanFresh.com on Nov.. 4.

Von Gesjen said, “The idea al-lowed us to create something more than just a commercial. In essence,

something that would be passed around on the Internet, You Tube and Myspace, which are all viewed by teenagers on a frequent ba-sis.”

Stinkton Heights was scripted and created by Enlighten.

“On the web we can do more for less money,” Von Gesjen said. “To broadcast a series would be very pric-ey, but with the Web we can create a whole world for our target audience and give Ban deodorant a presence beyond just a deodorant. (We can create) a story where Ban Deodorant actually saves the day.”

The piece was written by Nancy Bauer and produced by David Ros-siter, Andy Tanguay, a 3-D animator at Enlighten and Von Gesjen.

Von Gesjen, originally from Ann Arbor, is a Community High gradu-ate and now lives in San Francisco. Von Gesjen has worked in many ar-eas of the fi lm industry doing music videos, commercials, short fi lms and feature fi lms.

Von Gesjen said her role as pro-ducer was to take the idea or script and make it into reality within the budget given.

She said she enjoyed being able to work with such a talented bunch on a creative and fun project but wishes the cast did not have to be under the extreme stress and time crunch ac-custom with such projects.

She said, “I have worked with zombies before, but every project is defferent in its own way; the same in actual construction. Each has its own quirks.”

The SquallFriday, October 26, 2008Friday, October 26, 2008

The Squall

Ban deodorant uses Dexter for webisodes

something that would be passed around on the Internet, You Tube and Myspace, which are all viewed by teenagers on a frequent ba-sis.”

Stinkton Heights was scripted and created by Enlighten.

“On the web we can do more for less money,” Von Gesjen said. “To broadcast a series would be very pric-ey, but with the Web we can create a whole world for our target audience and give Ban deodorant a presence beyond just a deodorant. (We can create) a story where Ban Deodorant actually saves the day.”

The piece was written by Nancy Bauer and produced by David Ros-siter, Andy Tanguay, a 3-D animator at Enlighten and Von Gesjen.

UNHEALED

gorgy

photos by Leah Gibsonphoto illustration by Valentino Argerio

The newest Big Boy on Zeeb Road would like to present student discounts on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Sunday mornings.

10% off on all your Big Boy favorites with your DHS student I.D.

A Ban-ned Webisode: Ban Deodorant fi lmed a webisode in Dexter in September. One of the webisodes producers, Danika Von Gesjen, said Ban hopes to use the webisode to make its product more appealing to younger users. The Dexter webisode has a Zombie theme and is set in the fi ctional town of Stinkington Heights.

ceeds for the walk went to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and the Dexter Drama Club for scholarships for students to be sent to the NYC theatre trip. Martello or-ganized walking for WIL as a way to honor Harry Wilcox, a former Dexter French and drama teacher, who has brain cancer. Last year, the walk raised $3500 for the American Cancer Society.

newsBRIEFS

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, Halo set the record for the highest grossing video game in the United States. The game grossed $170 million dollars, surpassing Halo 2 which sold $125 mil-lion on its fi rst day. Halo 3 did lose the competition for cop-ies sold by only selling 2.48 million while the Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” sold 8.3 mil-lion copies. Halo 3 costs $60 and is only available for the Xbox 360.

Media teacher Matt Martello held his second annual Walk For WIL on Friday, Oct. 19 at Al Ritt Field. Martello walked 80 laps, a total of 20 miles, during the fundraiser. The pro-

The school’s water is still not safe to drink, according to Prin-cipal Kit Moran. “The main source of the problem may be that the water is sitting in the lines leading to the water foun-tain for too long,” Moran said. After a meeting with many health experts from around the Washtenaw county area, there was still no relief. “After many tests on the drinking water, all have come back inconclusive. No solution,” Moran said. A company called Health AIR has come in to help with testing the water to try and solve the problem. Moran said, “At the moment there is still no set time to when the problem will be solved.”

Athletic Booster Club of Dexter is putting a concession stand in the gym, and it is nearing its completion. According to ABCD vice president Anna Krull, her group funded the building of the concession stand because, she said, “Dex-ter is a Class A school and deserves Class A facilities.” The stand will cost approximately $25,000 and will be paid for by tiles that will go into the gym on the wall. The tiles will cost $125, and Krull said ABCD hopes to sell around 200 tiles. ABCD president Cindy Glahn said, “We do anticipate being up and running by the end of October.” Order forms for the tiles can be found on the ABCD website, www.Dexter.k12.mi.us/~abcd/.

Halo 3 release

Walk for Wil 2

Water still unsafe

Concession stand

33The SquallFriday, October 26, 2007

news

Bond proposal planned to increase funding for school budget

Continued from page 1documentation that confirms the student has a medical condition that inhibits them from completing the curriculum without special accommo-dations.

Medical conditions can vary from ADD/ADHD to anaphylactic allergies to physical impairment.

The unrest involving Dexter High School 504 plans traces back to past administrations, according to Moran.

“My predecessor told me when I ar-rived in the summer of 2006 that it was my responsibility to create the 504 plans,” Moran said. “Generally, the principal is not the one dealing with 504 plans. But the burden fell on me because we didn’t have anyone whose job it was specif ically to make these plans, and it’s not my leadership style to merely dump off work on someone because I don’t want to do it.”

Because of his other responsibili-ties as principal, Moran said that 504 plans didn’t get the attention that they warranted.

“In school sometimes you have so much work you have to decide which classes you’re going to do your best in and which ones you aren’t,” Moran said. “504 plans are not my best class. If I had a grade for it, it ’d probably be a C+ or B-, which isn’t good enough.”

Counselor Gerry Holmes agrees with Moran that it is not the princi-pal’s responsibility to assemble 504 plans.

“That work definitely shouldn’t fall on his plate,” Holmes said. “But where should it go? The counselors each have 400 students, and with the scheduling mishaps we didn’t have time to do it.”

A teacher familiar with 504 plans who asked to remain anonymous be-cause of the controversy surround-ing the issue, disagrees with Holmes, however.

“In all the other districts I know of, counselors are responsible for 504 plans,” the teacher said. “The ratio-nale for that is (the counselors) have contact with the students, they have the resources to do it and they are generally the ones who are contacted by parents when there is a problem in the classroom to begin with.”

The teacher also said when DHS had 800 students and two counselors, 504 plans were still handled in the counseling off ice.

This teacher doesn’t blame the counselors for the ineptitude in the process of putting the plans together, though. In fact, the optimal situation, according to this teacher, would be for the district to hire a 504 plan co-ordinator to handle all aspects of the process.

Such a position would include cre-

ating the plan itself, speaking with parents and teachers, monitoring the success of the plan and proctoring students in need of an alternate test-ing setting. Budget issues and other needs, however, make the possibility for the creation of the position unlike-ly, but not unimportant.

“The most important thing is that student needs are met,” the teacher said. “All parties involved need to reach an agreement that suits the stu-dent. Compromises have to be made between teachers and parents.”

Parts of the afore-mentioned 504 spe-cialist’s job are being handled by Assistant Superintendent Mary Marshall.

“One of the goals I had for my new po-sition was to get a clearly articulated 504 plan that pro-vided consistency between the buildings and served as a resource district wide,” Marshall said.

Marshall hopes the new plan will instill consistency in process, docu-mentation and notif ication of 504 plans, as well as improving coordina-tion between buildings regarding the plans.

But standardization of paperwork isn’t the only thing needed to improve the 504 process, according to Moran. Compromises need to be made as well, he said.

Parents often ask from more accom-modations than teachers are willing to grant and teachers are sometimes unreceptive to making accommoda-tions. A situation that makes the pro-cess more tedious, Moran said.

“Last year I met with parents in the summer to discuss the plans,” Moran said. “But the problem with that is

then I don’t have the teacher’s input on the process. In a perfect world teachers and parents could meet in the spring of the previous year, but schedules aren’t ready at that point which means meeting with teachers is impossible.”

Moran also found issues in coordi-nating the meeting of the two sides. Parents generally work during the day and are unavailable to hold a meeting during that time.

And teachers cannot be told to be in attendance at a meeting prior to or after school.

Generally, howev-er, teachers would be willing to designate time towards work-ing on a students 504 plan, according to the anonymous teacher.

“Teachers want their input to be in-cluded on decisions

regarding the plans,” this teacher said. “If (the teachers) don’t come, that’s their choice, but they still review the plan before signing it. If they don’t agree with something, they shouldn’t sign it. The plan is legally binding un-til the teacher has signed it.”

This person also said teachers have been mostly accommodating during the delay in receiving the plans.

Most of the teaching staff, ac-cording to this person, have allowed the accommodations students have claimed.

504 plans are f inally nearing com-pletion, though, according to Moran. But he says that’s nothing to cele-brate.

“There needs to be more communi-cations between all parties involved,” he said. “Are we getting better? Yes. Are we good at it? No. I still wouldn’t brag about the job we’ve done.”

504: Standardized form in the works

“ I’d rather see the bond end and see my taxes go down

than have an extended tax levy.”

- John Siller,parent

Lisa Ritchiestaff writer

504 Plan Confusion

• ”504” refers to a section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, concerning rights to special accommodations for students in need of them• Medical conditions eligible for coverage under the 504 plan include, but aren’t limited to, ADD/ADHD, anaphylactic allergies and physical impairment.• Principal William “Kit” Moran is responsible for organization for 504 plans, though school counselors organize it in other Michigan school districts.

In an attempt to raise money for building improvements and technology upgrades among other things, Dexter Com-munity Schools will give voters a chance to say yes or no to a $62 million bond in May.

Many teachers support this proposal. “I believe this is an excellent way for us to get the kind

of educational facilities and materials necessary for us to be a blue ribbon school,” English teacher Deborah Marsh said. “Our community has come to expect certain levels of achievement and success from our schools in a variety of areas. And with cuts in funding from the state level, we can-not continue to be the kind of school we have been in the past.”

Originally, the bond was supposed to be voted on in Feb-ruary of 2008, but voting was postponed until May.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm moved the Democratic primary to January, which by state requirements moved the bond pro-posal vote to January as well.

The Board of Edu-cation decided the bond details would not be ready in time for a January vote, so by unanimous deci-sion they postponed the vote until May.

According to infor-mation from the district, the bond proposal would result in a $0 tax increase. However, the proposal would extend the current debt levy for an additional 7-10 years, and the an-ticipated tax decrease scheduled to happen next year would not occur.

Regardless of any tax increase or decrease, however, the bond is necessary according to technology teacher Joe Ro-meo.

“The roofs need to be f ixed, buses wear out, computers get old, the pool breaks down,” Romeo said. “If these things are not f ixed now, they will get worse later and end up cost-ing more.”

Though many agree the bond proposal is a good idea, some community members aren’t so sure.

“I don’t want to pay more taxes,” parent John Siller said. “I’m still paying taxes from building the Dexter High School. I’d rather see the bond end and see my taxes go down than have an extended tax levy. I don’t want an eternal tax be-cause they want a palace for their school. It’s just a huge wish list of everything they want new and improved.”

But Marsh says you cannot put a price on education. She said, “I know that the educational experience students get in the Dexter Community School District is worth the extra money we’d have to pay.”

“ I stillwouldn’t bragabout the job

we’ve done.”

- Kit Moranprincipal

Buy a yearbookin room 407

see Mr. Mergleror any

yearbook staff member

Proposed $62 million request to help take strain off district’s budget


feature

Club formed to fi ght racism Katie Johnsonfeatures editor

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Nichols, Sacks, Slank, Sendelback

121 W Washington St # 300, Ann Arbor - (734) 994-3000

Jena 6•The case began in September 2006 when black students at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana sat underneath a “white only” tree. The next day, three nooses were found hanging from the tree.

•The incident caused racial tensions at the high school, sparking violence and threats.

•A white student who vocally supported the nooses being hung from the tree teased black students and the black students beat him up.

•The six black students who beat up the white student were charged with second degree murder. The fi rst student to be tried, Mychal Bell, was convicted and sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. facts from www.freethejena6.org

Photo by Leah Gibson

Spreading the word: Junior Sarah Burch leads a discusion at a diversity club meeting. “We do a lot of community service and we’re doing awareness for Jena 6,” she said.

Walking down the hallways of Dexter High School, she felt threatened. She knew that she shouldn’t be judged by the color of her skin but could feel people do-ing it anyway.

“I felt like I was going back into the 50s and 60s when I walked into school,” junior Sarah Burch said. “People would look at me with so much hate. It was like, ‘How dare you judge me when you don’t even know me?’”

Burch said she almost didn’t come back to Dexter her junior year because of her treatment at the hand of some stu-dents. “The incidents have not been bad this year, but last year was ridiculous,” she said. “I almost didn’t come back to Dexter because of racial intimidation. People don’t know how hard it is to walk down the hallway and not see people like you.”

One of the worst situations Burch expe-rienced was during her sophomore year. “I was in line at the water fountain, and there was a kid at the higher water foun-tain,” she said. “He’d been there for like fi ve minutes, and I asked him to move. He told me to use the lower one.”

Although the boy said it was a joke, Burch said that she didn’t fi nd it funny. “It kind of makes you not want to come to school,” she said. “You want school to be comfortable and a place where you feel safe. Some days you get jokes, looks. It’s not fun.”

Burch said she also knows of other students affected by racism at school. “I know a couple of people had burning crosses in their yard, and I’ve heard of people putting their shoelaces into noos-es,” she said.

Because of her own and other’s experi-ences, Burch recently started a diversity club. “I put together the idea last year, and it became a club this year,” she said. “A lot of schools have an Asian diversity club or a Muslim diversity club, but since Dexter isn’t there yet, I thought of making a general club. I was just tired because there is so little diversity in Dexter.”

Burch said she also looked to other students to start the club. “I didn’t want to wake up and come to this every day,”

she said. “I talked to kids and wondered if they felt the same. Once I started talk-ing, the feeling was mutual, so that’s when I started the club.”

One of the major goals of the club, ac-cording to Burch, is to open students’ eyes about racial issues and Burch said she plans to start doing this by exposing students to Jena 6. “I feel like (Jena 6) is a wake up call to let people know that racism is a huge issue,” she said. “The fact that it hits as close to home as Dexter ... it’s awful. I didn’t create the club for violence but to let people know that there are still problems that are going strong.”

According to counselor Kristi Doyle, it is important for students like Burch to tell an administrator if they feel threat-ened at school. “One of the biggest things is that the student should let someone know what is going on in the beginning before it escalates,” she said. “It’s also important for students who witness or hear things to bring it to a counselor or principal.”

Looking back, Burch said she wishes she would have told someone how she felt. “I feel like I wish I could’ve talked to the people,” she said. “Some of it wasn’t on purpose or in a bad way, but some people don’t realize how bad the words hurt.”

Still, Burch doesn’t feel bitter about the incidents. “I don’t know if I’d call rac-ism a problem (at Dexter), but maybe an issue,” she said. “Maybe some (students) have been sheltered, and this is all they know. I think it’s an issue that is real and needs to be dealt with.”

Doyle agrees and said racism is still a problem everywhere. “One of the biggest problems is that a lot of it is ignorance,” she said. “They’re not aware of the big picture.”

But for Burch, there’s still a bigger pic-ture than diversity club and even racism. “People don’t realize how important and infl uential their actions toward others are,” she said.

“Not to sound cliché, but the power to care and love others doesn’t see race or gender. It’s that human desire to feel like you matter, and that’s what my club is about, about going beyond the white, black, Asian races and to care for one an-other because we are all a part of the hu-man race.”


feature

Keller and Gravel travel abroad

Jessica Otto: Came from Germany to stay in the United States for a year.

Melane Pytel: Came from Germany to stay in the United States for a year.

Caitlin Gravel: Gravel traveled to Germany through a youth exchange program known as Youth Connection.

In all the years he spent in school, he sat through countless history lectures on the world’s wars. However, for 2007 graduate Andrew Keller, one of these lessons came to life when he visited the D-Day beaches in Nor-mandy, France as part of a foreign exchange program.

“My grandfather was in World War II,” he said, “and my host dad was involved in the war, so it was like a con-nection between us.”

Keller’s experience was made possible by the Dexter Rotary club, which is a community service club much like the Lions and Kiwanis clubs. Though perhaps bet-ter known for their playhouse featured in the Memorial Day parade or their college scholarships, the Rotary club also has a youth exchange program.

“Two types of youth exchange are offered through Dexter Rotary,” Lori Sprague who is in charge of the Rotary youth exchange, said. “One is a short term ex-change program, which is a direct match with someone in another country. The second is a long term exchange, which lasts through the academic year, in which the stu-dent may have more than one host family.”

Keller said his host family, including host brother An-toine, was welcoming and understanding of cultural dif-ferences. He said the only slightly problematic part of his stay was when he accidentally used the wrong word for

“I’m coming” when about to go out with his host grand-mother. “Apparently it was some sort of innuendo,” he said.

Overall, Keller had nothing but good things to say about his experience, adding, “Studying abroad gives you an experience you can get nowhere else.”

The expense of studying abroad through Dexter Ro-tary is airfare to and from the country as well as a small-er administrative fee of around $300 for short term and $900 for long -term.

Applications for the short term program are accepted until April 30, 2008, while applications for the long term program are due Oct. 15. However, those who are inter-ested are encouraged to apply early in order to get their desired country. “We have yet to send someone for the long term program,” Sprague said, “but we do have a few applicants.”

Senior Caitlin Gravel also went abroad this past sum-mer when she traveled to Germany through a youth exchange program known as Friendship Connection. The process started when a German girl named Gesine fl ew to America and stayed with Gravel’s family this past spring. After Gesine’s stay, which lasted for about a month, Gravel fl ew to Germany to stay with Gesine’s family early this past summer.

“It was a little awkward at fi rst, with a new language, a new family, a new country ... ” Gravel said. However, the adjustment period was short-lived, and Gravel said

she now has many unique experiences she will never forget.

“We went to Beethoven’s and Bach’s houses,” she said, “and also lots of places on the Rhine River, which was just beautiful.” Gravel also said she was lucky enough to be in Germany to witness a festival honoring St. Eliza-beth, whose 800th birthday was during her stay.

“The last week I was there, there was this huge festi-val at the Marburg Castle,” she said. “There were bands playing and everything.”

And Gravel had great things to say about Germany, as well as the German people. “They aren’t much differ-ent from us,” she said. “Although they are a little nicer, a little more willing to help you out.”

Sprague agreed, adding that she was an exchange student herself. Though she traveled to Japan, Sprague had thoughts similar to Gravel’s about the attitude of the people, saying, “They treat you very well.”

All it takes to study abroad, according to Gravel, Keller and Sprague, is someone who is outgoing, able to talk to others, curious, open-minded and friendly. In fact, Sprague said, “Anyone with enthusiasm for learn-ing about other countries in encouraged to apply.”

Both Gravel and Keller said they came back to the United States with many new experiences and ideas un-der their belts.

“I would defi nitely recommend it,” Gravel said. “You need to experience it to know what it’s like.”

Emily VanDusenStaff Writer

Parents teach at home and school

Mother and daughter: Senior Christy Bitters stands with mom Shirley Bitters in her classroom. “If my mom were to bug me about anything, we would have more problems,” Bitters said. “The fact that she doesn’t, makes it much easier to live with.”

photo by Caitlin Hendersonphoto illustration by Chas Sloan

Walking past her mom in the hallway, giving a polite smile and wave is second nature to senior Christy Bitters, daughter of life skills teacher Shirley Bitters.

Bitters and several other stu-dents have parents in the school who are teachers as well. But most of these kids say that they are content with their parent working at the school, and it doesn’t bother them as much as people would think.

“Seeing my mom every day is normal and comforting,” Christy said.

“It is nice to see my mom on occasion. Seeing her between every class and having a full con-versation would be too much, but saying, “Hi” I can handle.”

Her mom agrees. “It’s fi ne, I like seeing her,” she said.

Both Christy and junior Amy Baldus, daughter of Food and Nutrition staff member Nancy Baldus, said they have good re-lationships with their moms out-side of school which helps.

“This makes it easier for us to be around each other all day,” Christy said. “It would be hard-er if my mom and I didn’t get along.”

Christy also said if she saw her mom too much, they would nag one another about stupid things. “I don’t want my friends to see my mom and I argue,” she said.

Her mom agrees, and thinks it is a good idea to keep personal issues outside of the school.

“We try hard to keep school and family separate,” Shirley said. “We also try hard to keep family issues outside of school.”

Shirley also said she has not had any of her kids in class and thinks it is best for her and her daughters’ relationships.

Christy is Shirley’s third daughter to come through Dex-ter High School, and Shirley said

Christy is not any different than her other daughters.

They have all done well keep-ing family and school separate.

But do other teachers treat Christy differently because she is the daughter of a colleague? Shirley said no.

“ T h e r e is no dif-f e r e n c e with other t e a c h e r s , and I don’t expect it,” she said.

Christy agrees with her mom, “All of the t e a c h e r s treat me

just like everyone else,” Christy said. “I don’t get to turn assign-ments in late just because my mom is a teacher.”

Although she wishes she did get special treatment, it is the responsibility of the teachers not to let their and Shirley’s relation-ship affect Christy.

It’s gossip and personal pri-vacy that seems to be the bigger

issue with Baldus. “Having your mom know

about gossip within your friends is not always the most fun to deal with,” she said. “She fi nds out stuff that I don’t want her to know.”

However, both Amy and Christy say their moms do not nag them about personal issues.

“If my mom were to bug me about it, we would have more problems,” Bitters said. “The fact that she doesn’t, makes it much easier to live with.”

Amy doesn’t think her mom is annoying at school, she actu-ally enjoys it quite a bit.

“I actually benefi t from my mom being at school,” Amy said. “Sometimes I get free food at lunch and in the morning before classes.”

“My mom and I deal with it all very well,” Bitters said. She laughs and gives a little smile.

Having a parent in the school is really not that bad,” Bitters said.

Her mom walked past and she gave her a little wave, while christy just smiled back. “It is just second nature to me.”

Caitlin Hendersonbusiness manager

is no dif-f e r e n c e with other t e a c h e r s , and I don’t expect it,” she said.

agrees with her mom, “All of the t e a c h e r s treat me

“We try hard to keep school and family

separate.”

- Shirley Bitters,life skills teacher

Sugeng Lestarianto: Came from Indonesia to stay in the United States for a year.


health

While sitting in Michigan His-tory, he takes out his empty water bottle and his Kodiak chew and he puts in a fat dip.

By putting the spitter in his jacket, he disguises himself from the teacher. As fi ber glass in the chewing tobacco cuts open his lip, the nicotine fl ows into his blood stream and relaxes him.

“It’s the cool thing to do,” junior Ryan Hunter* said.

Although Hunter said he is aware of the risks of chewing tobacco, he said he does not intend on quitting anytime soon. “Maybe I will think about quitting later, but not in the near future,” he said.

According to science teacher Cheryl Wells, there are many negative health effects of chewing tobacco. Leukoplakia (infectious white spots on gums); halitosis (bad breath); periodontitis (breaking down of gums), indi-gestion; throat, lip, palate, larynx and tongue cancer; gingivitis and addiction are just a few.

Wells also said many people who chew tobacco use it as a replacement for smoking. “Both are very addictive, and both are hard to quit,” she said.

H u n t e r agrees. “It hurts the lip, and it

gets stuck in my teeth,” he said. “But

it gives me a crazy a-- buzz.

It helps me to relax.”Recently, there

has been a problem with students chewing during

class. Freshmen Alex Porch* said he was caught dipping in a class. When it was evident to his teacher he was chewing, he said he swallowed the tobacco before she could get to him.

“I was told to pull down my lip, and I still had some in there, Porch said. “I plan on quit-ting just during class.”

Like Hunter, Porch started chewing at an early age. “I started in the middle of eighth grade,” he said. “I wanted to try it and I got into it. I like the buzz.”

According to Wells, this buzz is caused by nicotine. She said the nicotine in chewing to-

bacco has a stimulant effect, constraining the blood vessels.

This reduces oxygen in the body and contributes to poor circulation, meaning less blood gets to the brain. The lack of oxygen going to the brain affects the concentration and learning process of a high schooler.

Wells also said chewing tobacco was a problem at Dexter in the 1970s and 1980s, mostly with baseball players. “A kid was lean-ing down in class and spitting into one of my beakers,” she said. Wells said she started to bring gum to school for the kids to help break their addiction.

People who chew often have issues with quitting, according to Wells. Breaking the habit of chewing is a hard one, but there are ways to quit.

Wells said chewing gum, brushing your teeth more and eating cough drops are healthy alternatives to chewing tobacco.

“Image is everything,” Wells said. “Do you want your mouth all sore and bloody? (Tobac-co chewers) have to say to themselves (chew-ing tobacco) is a drug, and it is addictive.”

*name changed at request of source

Chewing leads to threatening diseasesThe truth on

chewing tobacco

• Chewing or any form of tobacco can lead to gum cancer.

• 30 percent of all major league baseball players chew or dip.

• Nicotine from smokeless tobacco raises blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

• Smokeless tobacco has more nicotine than cigarettes.

• Chewing tobaccocontains 28 cancer-causing agents.

• Smokeless tobacco users are 50 percent more likely then nonus-ers to get cancer of the mouth, lip or gums.

Source: http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/smoke-less-tobacco-facts

Patrick Ledwidgestaff writer

Alternative exercises for student bodiesTo all those who suffer from

muffi ns top, donuts, round bel-lies, thunder thighs, love handles

and general excess eight, you no longer have to and neither do those who look at you. There are ways to work off that extra weight.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition web site, you only need to eat a little healthier and exercise a minimum of 20 minutes a day. Dieting doesn’t have to be diffi cult or depriving.

Even if you were to eat well, that does not necessar-ily mean that you will experience dramatic cuts at the waist line. Exercising is your best choice when trying to cut at the waistline, thighs or other fatty areas. This doesn’t mean you have to hit the weight room neces-

sarily, just set up a weekly work out schedule for 20 minutes a day.

• Monday: Chest and Back Weight Training for 20 min.• Tuesday: Shoulder Strength Exercise for 20 min.• Wednesday: Abs Weight Training for 20 min.• Thursday: Biceps and Triceps Strength Training for 20 min.• Friday: Yoga for 20 min.• Saturday: Hip and Thigh Weight Training for 20 min.• Sunday: Chest and Shoulder Strength Training for 20 min.

Photos by Val Argerio

Chewing leads to threatening diseases

Photo illustration by Chas Sloan

Monday: Chest and Back weight training for 20 minutes.

Thursday: Biceps and Triceps Strength Training for 20 minutes.

Tuesday: Shoulder Strength Exercise for 20 minutes.

Friday: Yoga for 20 min. A good way to relax the mind and body.

Saturday: Hip and Thigh Weight Training for 20 minutes.

Wed: Abs Weight Training for 20 minutes.

Sunday: Chest and Shoulder Strength Training for 20 minutes.

Seven exercises to get rid of your muffi n topHeather Sillerstaff writer


arts

After coming home from a long, hard day of school, senior Charlie Kemp has a vast amount of homework and study to do.

But on top of that, he practices his one pride and joy for 3-4 hours every night, his saxophone. It all started back in the fi fth grade for Kemp when most students pick an instrument for the fi rst time.

“My parents had wanted me to play an instrument,” he said. “I had already played piano for four years before starting up on the saxophone. When we were able to pick out instru-ments, I had a lot of reed instruments in mind: clarinet, fl ute, oboe etc. But it ended up coming down to saxo-phone.”

Although, Kemp has chosen to play the saxophone he said that he would eventually like to play all reed instru-ments.

Many students don’t truly realize that they have a passion for some-thing while in high school. However, that is not the case for Kemp.

“I realized last January that this (playing saxophone) is really what I wanted,” he said.

Band teacher Kenneth Moore has been teaching Kemp for seven years, and has seen him grow musically over the years.

“Charlie’s progress through high school has been tremendous; he is wise beyond his years,” Moore said. “He has an outstanding work ethic as well. Charlie is in the 2 to 3 percent of all students I’ve had in 17 years, and musically he is one of the strongest we have ever had.”

Like many, Moore, said he is also struck by Kemp’s passion and com-mitment towards his music.

Kemp said this passion has been gradually increasing over the past year, but it was a performance by world-class saxophonist Claude Delange that really made him open his eyes and realize music was his thing.

“From the fi rst note that Delange had played, my desire, love of music and playing the saxophone skyrock-eted out of the roof,” he said. “That

performance was a part of me that will never go away. It was so magnifi cent.” He also said the vibrato, notes, intona-tion and tone showed him that a per-son can really come that far with their music.

While Delange is a major infl uence on Kemp musically, so is his private lesson teacher Jack Wagner. “Jack has really helped me out,” Kemp said. “He has enlightened me and has taught me so much with the couple years I’ve been with him.”

Not has Kemp attended many mu-sical performances, but he has per-formed in many himself.

He has performed for radio station WVNV 98.7 several times throughout the month of September.

Also, Kemp has performed at other places within the community includ-ing Foggy Bottom. “I love to feel the passion from the community when I do local type things,” he said.

Going to gigs and airing late at night on radio stations isn’t where Kemp stops either.

Last January, he attended the All-state Band For Awards where per-formers audition for a spot and are selected by judges to stay the weekend and perform. Also, in the summer be-fore eighth grade Kemp attended Blue Lake Fine Arts camp in Muskegon.

He also plans to apply to the Uni-versity of Michigan, Michigan State University and University of Mary-land.

“I’m really hoping to get into music school. That’s what I want,” he said.

One thing that keeps Kemp mov-ing is his passion for music. “Passion to me is fi nding the thing you want to stick with for life,” he said. “You have to have heart and soul for it, and it really just keeps you going. Five years from now I see myself done with college af-ter a few years in America. And I’d like to stick with jazz and study classical in Paris with my idol Delange.”

Regardless, of what the future holds, Kemp said he is glad he found something he loves.

“Kids today just sit around and want to do things just to get them done,” he said, “People who are older still don’t know what they want to do. I’ve been too lucky to fi nd that one thing I want and just focus on it.”

Senior fi nds passion for saxophone

When the varsity dance team won fi rst place at a competition last year, junior Charlotte Frutig knew she had contrib-uted and her hard work had paid off.

Frutig didn’t stop there, though. She continues to dance, improve and reach for higher goals. Including a possible ca-reer in dance.

“I do jazz, modern, pointe, ballet and hip-hop,” Frutig said.

Like many people who focus on one hobby or sport, Frutig started dance when she was very young.

“I did gymnas-tics for 12 years,” she said. “I started dance when I was three or four, but I just did dance on the side until about four years ago.”

Frutig said she switched from gymnastics to dance because of the number of injuries involved with gymnastics. According to Frutig, dancing was less tough on the body but just as diffi cult to master.

However, for Frutig, dancing is a full time deal. She dances at the YDT dance studio in Chelsea and is part of a jazz company that requires extra practices, adding to her regular practice schedule.

“I only get two days off a week,” Frutig said. “I dance on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with a one hour break. And on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, I work on jazz, ballet and pointe.”

Adding to her workload, Frutig has also been a part of the dance team and plans to continue when she has a bit more time.

“I was on the varsity dance team all of last year, and I plan on doing it later this year after football season,” she said. “Right now, I am just too busy.”

Sophomore Kelsey Hart is also a member of the varsity dance team, and she said it is tough and time consuming as well.

“It’s hard because you have to be in sync with the other girls, keep your fa-cial expressions and focus on technique,” Hart said. “Charlotte is a really good dancer because she’s very fl exible, and she works hard at it.”

With those who argue that dance is not a sport, Frutig disagrees.

“Dance is a sport because it takes up a lot of time. It is a huge workout and there are competitions you can go to,” she said.

With dancing such a large part of her life, Frutig said it is hard to fi nd time do other things such as homework and hanging out with friends.

“When I dance, I have practically no social life. I try to do homework dur-ing breaks at practice or late at night,” she said. “Sometimes I get frustrated in classes because I have done so much that week, and I get really tired.”

Even though Frutig said sometimes she gets tired of dancing, there are fun parts to look forward to.

She said she enjoys throwing different combinations of ballet, hip-hop and jazz together and putting them to music.

“I like jazz because you can be sassy and show off a little bit,” she said. “It’s fun to dance to some of the upbeat stuff.”

Frutig said after high school she has a few goals for the future that include dance and maybe acting.

However, to make a career out of dancing, a person has to have a few very important qualities.

Hart said, “You have to have personal-ity and style. It’s really hard to get into college for dance because a mistake can mean that you won’t make it in.”

But no matter. Frutig said she wants to continue to work at dance and try for a career somewhere.

“I would like to do something in New York,” she said. “Maybe I can fi nd a bal-let company out there or do something on Broadway.”

After “Closer to the Sun,” Slightly Stoopid released a new, more acoustic CD called “Chron-chitis.”

With all of the hit songs on “Closer to the Sun,” it is hard to top, and “Chronchitis” does not quite top it, but it comes close.

Slightly Stoopid has made another jump away from punk rock and closer to reggae and acoustic.

“Chronchitis” has slower, more soothing songs that include the saxophone and the trumpet a little more.

For instance, “Righteous Man” on their last CD is a harder rock song, as opposed to “Anywhere I Go,” which is much more reggae.

Even though “Chronchitis” is much different from their earlier al-bums, they still find a way to sell albums and make hits.

Just like the rest of its CDs, a majority of the songs are good, espe-cially “2 a.m.,” “Nobody Knows,” “Jimi,” and “Baby I Like It.” “Baby I Like It,” features G. Love, who adds a nice addition to the song and makes it a little more upbeat.

“Chronchitis” shows the maturity of the band including their instru-mental songs which are not as hard rock as some of their older songs.

It shows how versatile they are and how many different types of songs they can sing.

Overall, “Chronchitis” is a great album. It may not be as good as their last few CDs, but it is still a hit CD and has many good new tracks.

I like the slower, more instrumental and reggae Slightly Stoopid, and I am looking forward to their next album to be released.

Besides the single “Crank

That (Soulja Boy),” Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s new CD could be one of the worst rap albums in a few years.

The album, Souljaboytellem.com, is selling for $7.99 on iTunes, which is about $7 too much.

Soulja Boy topped the charts with his first hit, “Crank That” in September 2007.

He was only 17 years old, and many considered him a new, popular artist. Until his new album came out Oct. 2. Then it all went downhill for Soulja Boy.

All of his songs sound the same: same beats, same style

and pretty much the same lyrics too.He continually rhymes about dancing, shoes (Bapes, of course). Or my

personal favorite “Booty Meat.” Most people would recognize Soulja Boy from his loud, obnoxious

“Yuuuuaaaaaa!” He yells it in most of his songs. His style is more of a dance, mainstream type of hip-hop, which is usu-

ally popular among listeners, but not when all of his songs sound that way. He does have one other good song on the CD, “Soulja Girl,” which has an

all right chorus but still, it is a lot like his other ones. Maybe Soulja Boy is too young. Maybe his sophomore album will be

much better. But likely he is nothing but a one-hit wonder with no talent. Maybe he

just wasn’t cut out for the rap game, and that’s fine. But he could at least stop recording songs unless they are worth listen-

ing to.

A gymnast for 12 years Charlotte Frutig now has her eyes set on making a career out of dance.

Olivia Scheffl erstaff writer

Frutig strives for success as dancer

Reviews by Muse

CHARLIE KEMP FACTSKemp has been a vegan for three years.

He is a huge "Stargate" fan and thinks it’s the best show to ever hit the universe.He also enjoys the show "Heros" which he also fi nds quite interesting.

Kemp is a drum major and is in the highest band, Symphonic.His favorite type of music to listen to is classical and jazz.

One of Kemp’s main infl uences is world-class saxophonist Claude Delange. Passion is really what drives Kemp to keep going.

Throughout September Kemp has played for radio station WVNV 98.7

••

••

••

••

Photo by Leah Gibson

•Chronchitis •Souljaboytellem.com

Kemp performs on the radio, at Foggy Bottom, plans to apply to music school

Sarah Akbarifardstaff writer

Blocking a ball:Junior Robert Spiegel blocks a ball during a water polo game. The mens water polo team has never made it to the playoffs, but this season they are more hopeful. Spiegel said the team's hard work this season will make them more confi dent in the water.


sports

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Senior athletes' seasons setback because of homecoming celebrations

Police knock on the front door but come in through the back door of a party

The Facts on MIPs• MIP stand for minor in possession

• In Michigan the charge of a minor in possession will go on a person’s permanent record.

• A criminal record like an MIP can impact a person’s ability to get car or house loans, and it can affect the cost and availability of car insurance Source:http://www.bzpclaw.com/Possession.shtml

After homecoming on Sept. 22, senior Alyssa Robinson was excited to go home to an after party since her parents were out of town.

Alcohol was present, and guests were surprised when the party was broken up by police late into the night.

“(A senior) accidentally broke into my neighbor’s house two blocks down,” Rob-inson said. “They called the cops about the party, and (the cops) came in through my back door since it was open. I was passed out on the floor.”

Unfortunately for Robinson and other student-athletes at the party, they received mi-nor in possession of alcohol (MIPs) citations from the po-lice.

As a punishment, Robinson was unable to swim for the women swim team for an ex-tended time period.

“I can still practice, but I can’t compete for two weeks,”

Robinson said. “It was my first offense, so it wasn’t too bad. I had to give a speech to the swim team saying how sorry I was.”

Another athlete who was caught at the party was se-nior Katie Young, a member of the women golf team.

“Before the dance, I was hav-ing dinner with my friends and some of them wanted to drink,” Young said. “At the dance, Alyssa told me about a party at her house. I went to check it out with a friend, but it didn’t feel like a good situation.”

Despite her gut feeling about the party, Young did at-tend with many other student athletes.

“There were a lot of drunk

people around,” Young said. “When the cops came, about 20 people ran and only about 15 of us were left.

They came in with flash-

lights, we were all trying to duck below the windows so they couldn’t see our shad-ows.”

Although Young tried not to get caught, she and several other student-athletes were breathalized.

“I was mad since the per-son who went before me blew nothing,” Young said. “I saw people who had been drinking all night and blew nothing. I ended up blowing a 0.06. I was shocked, and I started crying.”

Out of guilt, Young said she called her coach to tell him and was suspended from the golf team for 14 days.

“I missed the SEC dual match, and I missed champi-onships, and I was leading in both,” Young said. “Because of that, my team lost for the first time in two years. I ba-sically blew my shot at a title and possibly at college schol-arships.”

Robinson shares Young’s feelings of regret about the evening.

“In a way, it wasn’t worth it,” Robinson said. “I hadn’t put the whole thing in per-spective. It was hard facing my team the next day.”

Mens water polo makes wild splashes in pool

After last season, senior captain Matt Cambridge knew his team had to change their ethic and its more serious if they wanted to start fulfi lling its goals. So, this year Cambridge said the water polo team has changed their ethic and are trying to change other elements of their game for the positive.

And the team has a lot of differences from the previous year according to its members. They believe all the changes are benefi cial to the team. “We’re working a lot harder and we’re a lot more confi dent,” Cambridge said.

The team has never made it to the state playoffs, and if they win their fi rst game at region-als, they will be going. Accord-ing to Cambridge if they work hard, this should be easy. State playoffs is one of the team’s two goals. The other is to beat Okemos because according to Cambridge they run up the score on little teams, and they are not gentlemen.

Another change to the team this year is that they are a lot closer than past years. This includes more team bonding and dressing up for games. For example, they have popped their collars and worn pink hats and sun glasses for the Huron game because they believe this is how Huron dresses. They usually have water polo parties at either Cambridge’s or co-captain Tim Pituch’s house. “We are a lot more tight and closer,” Cambridge said.

Coach Brian Semple has been coaching for three years

and is also a technology teacher at Mill Creek. His team respects him for being a good friend and a good coach to them. “He is a really fun guy to be around, and he knows his water polo,” junior Robert Spiegel said.

Semple also said the team has stepped up the work ethic compared to past years. “The team this year has been really motivated, and that is largely in part to our large senior class,” he said. “I’ve been satisfi ed with the effort put in the past, and it’s been exciting to see how the hard work is paying off this season.”

One of the changes that hasn’t been made and the team would like to have is happen is to make water polo a varsity sport. De-spite water polo being a sport in Dexter for so long, it is still a club sport. Siegel said he is trying to make water polo a varsity sport as opposed to a club sport. “We are trying to make it a varsity sport, but we’re going to need more people to join, and it’s going to take some time,” he said. Spiegel said he doesn’t see it changing soon because the program needs more players, but he believes in the future it will.

Semple would also like to see water polo become a varsity sport. “There are certain advantages that we have being a club sport, but given the opportunity,

we would defi nitely like to become varsity,” Semple said. “To my knowledge there are a number of steps that we have to go through before we can become a varsity sport.”

Overall Cambridge said the team is happy with the changes it’s made and believe they are benefi cial. The players and the coaches both think there is a better work ethic and more team chemistry. And Semple said, “We have shown a really good progression this year and hope-fully we are able to play our best water polo during the regional competition.”

Kyle Borenstaff writer

Ryan AliapoulisEntertainment editor

“ The cops came in through the back door.

I was passed out on the fl oor.”

- Alyssa Robinson,senior

photo by Mary Kumbier

spite water polo being a sport in Dexter for so long, it is still a club sport. Siegel said he is trying to make water polo a varsity sport as opposed to a club sport. “We are trying to make it a varsity sport, but we’re going to need more people to join, and it’s going to take some time,” he said. Spiegel said he doesn’t see it changing soon because the program needs more players, but he believes in the future it will.

polo become a varsity sport. “There are certain advantages that we have being a club sport, but given the opportunity,

“We ‘re working a lot harder and we’re

lot more confi dent”

- Matt Cambridge, senior


sports

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We all watched in pain and agony as last year’s Detroit Tigers came so close to a world champion-ship, but after fi ve games they ended so far away. Everything seemed to be on the side of the Tigers. A young and hungry team, a new but veteran coach in Jim Leyland, and 22 years of absolutely horrible baseball put behind them.

But no one killed Kenny, and the city that says “What Up Doe?” didn’t win a championship yet another year. The American League champions lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in their fi rst appearance in the World Series since 1984, when they won it all with the likes of Kirk Gibson’s late inning hero-ics and Sparky Anderson as one of Detroit’s most storied managers leading the team.

I’m sure that after game fi ve of the World Series last year many other Tigers fans shared my feelings of utter disbelief, major disappoint and an assured hope for the next season. As disappointed as I was, it wasn’t even a question as to whether or not Detroit would be in the playoffs again, let alone the World Series.

Tigers owner Mike Illich did nothing but make his long-neglected baseball franchise better over the off season by acquiring superstar and long time Yankee Gary Sheffi eld. Star right fi elder Magglio Ordonez, who won the batting title his fi rst season in the Motor City, has carried the team in both of his seasons wearing the old English D.

Throughout the 2007 season the Tigers seemed to be on fi re, leading the American League Central Division for over half of their 162 game season. Of-fense was never a question, but like everyone who knows baseball says, pitching wins championships.

This is what we were missing since the all star break: consistent starters and lights-out relief pitcher Joel Zumaya, who throws 103 miles per hour. But the trade deadline passed us by with no major moves being made by the front offi ce, fl ush-ing Detroit’s possibilities of a successful playoff run down the toilet at Comerica Park. You would think that the owner would at least try to sign someone to help out the 27 tired players on the roster.

In 2006, Illich acquired veteran fi rst baseman Sean Casey from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the dead-line to give the team some jump in their step, and that lasted all the way to the World Series, where Fernando Rodney served us all well by committing many stupid errors against the Cardinals that most defi nitely cost Detroit the championship.

In 2007 however, we watched the front of-fi ce do nothing and you would have to be blind to not see the repercussions on the fi eld. I still don’t understand how a team with so much talent and fi repower can’t even make the playoffs behind the Cleveland Indians and George Steinbrenner. I am so sick of seeing pin stripes on the fi eld during the playoffs, and it isn’t even cool when the Yankees win anymore, because they already have 26 world championships dating back to before your parent’s parents were even breathing.

The Tigers must seriously step up their game and get deep into October every season with no questions. This better happen soon because they have everything they need to establish a dynasty.

Charlie PettitSports Editor

UFC violence is entertainment for many

His legs tighten up and his body begins to tire as junior Eric McCuaig topples his oppo-nent to the ground.

He hits the mat on top of his enemy and quickly pins his disoriented opponent, win-ning the match. McCuaig is taking part in one of the newest and fastest growing sports in the nation, mixed martial arts, or as it’s called on TV, Ultimate Fighting.

Ultimate Fighting is a blend of boxing and martial arts that allows the most brutal of punches and kicks to an opponent. The sport is quickly gaining popularity among Ameri-can youth as more and more fi ghts are being televised on networks such as Spike TV, Fox Sports Net and Pay Per View.

And the branches of Ultimate Fighting have reached out into Dexter. Several stu-dents are huge fans of the sport and some even participate in Ultimate Fighting sce-narios, including McCuaig who got started at 10, when he was involved in Tae Kwon Do. “I saw some people grappling and thought it

would be fun,” McCuaig said. Now McCuaig is a big fan of the sport, and

his favorite fi ghter, Chuck Liddel. “I watch Ultimate Fighting a lot, and I would have to say Chuck Liddel is the best out there, ” he said.

“What I do isn’t the Ultimate Fighting you see on TV. We do a lot of grappling and wrestling and don’t involve the punches as much.”

And although his sport may not be like the UFC most people know, McCuaig still enjoys watching it. “It’s really fun to watch,” he said. “I’ve never been to a real match, but it’s great on TV.”

Junior Gabe Golub has been a fan for three years and his love for the sport con-tinues to grow. “I’ve liked Ultimate Fighting for awhile now. It’s just different than most sports and a lot cooler.”

Golub said Ultimate Fighting is more ex-citing than boxing, for example, for several reasons. “In boxing all they do is punch each other until someone gets tired,” he said. “Ul-timate Fighting involves all kinds of moves and pins.”

Other students, like sophomore John Chi-

ado, actually train for this blend of boxing and martial arts. “You condition for it like any other sport, and there are certain rules you have to follow,” Chaido said. “It’s pretty intense.”

The sport that most amateur competi-tors take part in is called mixed martial arts, which is like Ultimate Fighting but with-out some of the more brutal punches and moves.

Chiado also has a favorite fi ghter, For-rest Griffi n. “He’s pretty tight,” Chaido said. “Other guys are all right, but I think he’s the best.”

The fact the sport is dangerous is not news to Chiado, although he hasn’t been se-riously injured participating in it yet. “It’s risky,” he said. “I haven’t ever been hurt too bad from cage fi ghting, but you can defi nitely die if things go wrong.”

Violent or not, many Ultimate Fighting fans believe it is the future of contact sports. “It’s a lot more exciting and different that most all other sports. Better than boxing for sure,” Golub said.

Chiado agrees. “You get a thrill watching it and doing it,” he said. “It’s pretty fun.”

Other sports changes

• Womens basketball now plays during the winter season with the men’s team.

•Womens golf is now played during the fall season rather than the spring.

•Mens golf is teeing off in the spring rather than the fall season.

Schools welcome Huron to the SEC Red Division in 09

When the dust settles on this year’s football season, the players will look back on it in many different ways.

And many of them will also look ahead to next season with a schedule that has many familiar opponents and one game that is against a new opponent, Ann Arbor Huron.

Huron has moved to the South-eastern Conference (SEC) for foot-ball next season. They had been play-ing in the Red Division for all sports except for football prior to this ath-letic year.

Huron and the other school dis-tricts of the SEC decided to postpone their move in football until next sea-son in order to enable other teams to fulfi ll their sports schedules that had been made before the switch was put into effect.

Many people, such as Athletic Di-rector John Robinson, welcome the new addition to the conference. “Hu-ron’s very close in location and are always very competitive,” Robinson said. “Adding Huron improves the overall quality of the SEC and helps make it one of the top athletic con-ferences in the state.”

Other people are not as excit-ed about the move as Robinson , though.

Varsity football coach Tom Barb-ieri wishes Huron would have waited to make the move for football to join the SEC until Ann Arbor’s new high school, Skyline, begins competing at the varsity level in athletics.

In football, each SEC team plays each other one time as well as having two non-conference games per sea-son. Non-conference games usually make up the fi rst and last games of the year for teams in the SEC.

Barbieri said he likes the sched-ule like this because the fi rst game

at the beginning of the year gives his team a chance to prepare for their tough conference schedule.

But when Huron joins the SEC, it will become the ninth member. Teams will then only have one non-conference game, which most coach-es are against, Barbieri said.

The SEC will continue to play with only one non-conference game until 2010 or 2011 when Skyline begins to compete at the varsity level.

While he is not excited that Hu-ron made the move so soon, Barbieri said he is still excited to play them. “(Playing Huron) will be fun,” he said. “You get to read about them all the time in the paper.”

For their part, Huron is also hap-py about the move and their Athletic Director Dottie Davis said everything has gone smoothly in their fi rst sea-son as a member of the SEC.

She said, “All in all, we are very excited to join the SEC and it’s proud traditions.”

Kevin Yarrowsstaff writer

Alex Everardstaff writer

Tigers disappoint two years in a row

Photos by Val ArgieroWorking on his technique: Sophomore John Chiado raises his fi sts while training for boxing and mixed martial arts.

McCuaig knows what he’s doing: Eric McCuiag who has taken Martial Arts before now gets to also work on a little bit of boxing and wrestling.


columns

The trashier, the sluttier and the more vulgar, the better.

I am addicted to reality TV, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

To give you an idea of why reality TV is so spectacular, lets consider this example of a classic reality TV moment that never fails to remind me why I love it so much.

Somethin’ (nicknamed by rap icon Flavor Flav star of “Flavor of Love” on VH1), a very large woman, took a poop on the fl oor during this show.

She was close to the bathroom, but she still pooped on the fl oor. Does this excite anyone else?

I guess the reason I am so addicted is be-cause I love to see just how ridiculous people are willing to act.

For their fi ve minutes of fame, reality TV makes it quite obvious that people will do any-thing to get some screen time.

The concept of a grown woman taking a poop on the fl oor when a bathroom is just down the hall is both shocking and fascinating to me.

If women will poop on the fl oor, what else will they do?

I want to know her thought process. Why did she do it? I mean, doesn’t she know that she looks like a complete idiot?

And as if that weren’t enough to get me completely hooked, Flav’s response certainly did the trick.

Flav said it was OK that she took a poop on the fl oor and that she was just being “real.”

He was actually still attracted to her after she pooped on his fl oor.

I know that I should be disgusted or even appalled by such a crude action, but it is incidents such as this that keep me completely obsessed.

With each new reality show the drama, the fi ghts, the pranks and, of course, the level of sluttiness reaches a new high, and I look for-ward to what’s coming next completely.

And although others may not be as open about their addiction to reality TV, I know there are many out there.

Yes, it is slightly embarrassing to say you sat home all day and watched a nine hour mara-thon of “Flavor of Love,” but at least you are enjoying yourself.

Who doesn’t love to witness a girl spitting in another girl’s face or watching women consume so much alcohol they can no longer function?

I simply cannot pass it up. And I look forward to what reality TV is go-

ing to provide me with. It is only natural as time progresses so does

the level of drama. I’m not embarrassed to admit that I am

extremely excited for “Flavor of Love 3.” I only have to wait a year, but you can be

sure that I have already marked the date in my calendar.

I’m ready for more alcohol, more hookups, more fi ghts, more trash.

Health editor

Before we go on this journey into a completely improbable future in which I am a teacher, I want to make a couple things clear.

This is not a criticism of teachers. I think teachers should have their mental health checked just for choosing the profession, but

most of them do a great job, especially in Dexter. That said, let’s hope I never have to do what they do, because things would

be quite different in my classroom.I would likely not make it very long without physically assaulting a stu-

dent. I don’t mean that I would kick the crap out of one, just a fi rm smack in the back of the head. As soon as one of those little buggers talked back to me, smack!

Assuming I was able to restrain myself well enough to avoid lawsuits or getting fi red, I would defi nitely be instituting some revolutionary policies. No more E’s: That’s not to say that nobody can fail, because failing is not just a possibility but a probability. But I’m bringing back the F.

It may be out of alphabetical order, but it adds a little motivation. Nothing says, “Right now, you suck, but if you start actually doing something, you could be alright,” like a big fat “F” on the report card.Participation: Many teachers give grades for participation. My idea of partici-pation is slightly different, though.

Where most would see it as doing work, contributing to class discussions and consistent attendance, mine is more a question of what have you done for me? Have you been annoying or helpful?

I’ve never liked teacher’s pets, but as a teacher, I’m defi nitely going to take advantage of them.

Grading: Calculating grades is pretty simple. Home-

work (including par-ticipation) is 10 percent, tests and quizzes are 10 percent, exams are 20 and how much I like you is 60. Some students would argue that many teachers already use this method, but I wouldn’t keep it secret.

You might not be the smartest kid or the biggest teacher’s pet, but if I like you, you’ll still do very well in my class.

After all, the most important skill students need when entering the “real world” is how to interact with people. If you interact well with me, your grade

will show it.Sleeping in class: I understand how much it sucks as

a teenager to get up early every day, so if you feel yourself drifting off in class, feel free.

It’s your own fault if you miss out on vital information, but I leave the students with that responsibility. Don’t be surprised if I take a nap also.

I have to get up early, too.Due to various restrictions, standards and moral codes,

I will never be able to actually implement these new poli-cies.

Therefore, I am sorry to say (not really) that I will not be pursuing a career in education.

Although it would be amazing to still have a summer break every year as a working adult, I just can’t picture myself as a teacher.

Reality TV is here to stay

If I were teacher for a day

I sit in school every day, depressed I have to be here. I am just another guy at Dex-ter High School.

And there are quite a few students who feel the same way as I do--dead on the inside.

Usually, the deep depression kicks in around the last 10 to 15 minutes of second hour.

Luckily, there is a cure for this deep depres-sion.

A program on Apple computers called Garageband has enabled students to cope with their feelings by helping them create melodies to soothe the soul.

Some of my friends and I found this out to-ward the end of last year.

We started making songs that closely re-sembled our feelings toward school and life in general.

What came out was an album called “Tears of Blood” by our newly created band “Unhealed”.

We let a couple of our other friends listen to our emotional ballads, and they liked them a lot.

So, as young entrepreneurs, we fi gured many other students would feel the same way about school, and life in general, and might like to vent

their feelings to the anthems of “Unhealed”.As we started selling the CDs we realized that

we had a shortage. Our supply was less than our demand; eco-

nomics teacher Cory Bergen would be proud. So, we decided to continue the “Unhealed”

legacy throughout our illustrious high school careers.

With the Garageband craze spreading throughout the high school, we have encountered some competition this year, though.

Other depressed students found a need to express their own feelings through the art of Garageband. Random bands have sprung up out of nowhere with names like “Love Muscle,” “Healed” and “Jurgen Und Die Ja-Gerns.” Obvi-ously, these so-called bands are just copy cats of the original “Unhealed.”

Maybe you are content with your current depression coping methods. Maybe you do not like “Unhealed.” Maybe you like “Love Muscle” better.

Granted, they do incorporate some entertain-ing lyrics, but they cannot compare to the beat-making abilities that the experience in the art of Garageband has given “Unhealed.”

Maybe you already have an emo band that you love to sit in a corner, alone, in a dark room, and listen your middle-class, Dexter-bred problems away. That’s all good and fi ne to me.

However, one thing is certain; you defi nitely will not get the profound satisfaction of Un-healed’s distinctively thought-provoking lyrics and mad, sick beats.

You will also miss out on the opportunity to support a growing local band, that if treated well, can give back to the community which provides so much inspiration to the young emo children of America.

Which ever method of dealing with your oh-so-terrible problems suits your level of depres-sion, remember that there is no experience like the Garageband experience.

As long as you can cope with your problems without disturbing others, any method is fi ne.

Like it or not, it seems as though the Garage-band craze that has swept through Dexter High School is here to stay, at least for another two years.

I encourage you all to sample Garageband and have a good time making mad, sick beats, emo or not, with your close friends.

Scott CromptonManaging Editor

Emo techno band Unhealed paves its way through DHS, also a target for copycats

a teenager to get up early every day, so if you feel yourself drifting off in class, feel free.

but I leave the students with that responsibility. Don’t be surprised if I take a nap also.

I will never be able to actually implement these new poli-cies.

be pursuing a career in education.

break every year as a working adult, I just can’t picture myself as a teacher.

“I would likely not make it very long

without assaulting a

student.”Photo by Maria Brundage

Educating America: Dave Pisano cleans the whiteboard of the blood spilt by an insolent pupil.

Celia Kuzon

The Cartoon by David Bays

Angry parents, court dates and team suspensions. These are the lives of seven Dexter athletes after an ill-fated homecoming night, a night when months of consequences were born.

For one senior, hopes of a golf scholarship may be ruined after having to miss the SEC’s. She was hoping to have lead the quad in the conference championships but now can only practice with the team and watch from the sidelines.

Another athlete hoping to pursue her sport in college is a senior soc-cer player. Even though the women’s soccer season doesn’t start until the spring, this player must wait to serve her time until the soccer season. “I think it’s unfair for people not in season to still have to sit-out,” she said.

Double-jeopardy of the student athletes being punished through the school is unfair. Why should seven students suffer twice the consequences for the same offense while three do not?

Athletic Director John Robinson said that athletes made their decision to not drink when they signed the student-athlete contract. But neither of the athletes interviewed remember signing this contract and were unaware of what rules were in the handbook.

And while athletic suspensions due to MIPs occur every year, the athletic department doesn’t feel like they need to inform and teach Dexter athletes more about the rules inside the handbook.

With the lack of knowledge about the rules and consequences, athletes can not be expected to follow rules that they were not aware of. The athletes feel that if they were more aware of the consequences they would have made a different decision that night.

Fair or not, this experience has taught the athletes a lot. For the senior golfer, it’s to trust her instinct, “I had a bad feeling about the party. I wish I would have gone with my gut feeling,” she said.

The senior soccer player hopes other students have learned from her experience. “I hope this teaches students to be more careful, and that they are aware now that consequences can actually happen,” she said.

While these seven athletes did make a mistake that does not make their double-jeopardy punishment fair. The athletes were not aware of the rules and should be cleared of charges.

After the homecoming dance in September, a group of kids went back to a student-athlete’s house where no parents were present, and you can imagine what went down.

After an address mix-up, where an intoxicated student walked into the wrong house, the family was greeted with an unpleasant surprise and no-tifi ed the police. After retrieving the fugitive, the police crashed the right house.

Most of the guests fl ed, but 10 were caught and received minor in posses-sion fi nes.

Other than being punished by the law, the seven student-athletes who were fi ned with MIPs, are also being punished in one form or another by the coach of their sports’ team.

In one athlete’s case, she would have been removed from her team for the remainder of the season if she hadn’t told the coach the following Monday the truth about what happened that Saturday night.

She was then asked to apologize to their teammates by the coach.“I think everyone here knows why I’m out for the next two weeks,” she

said, “But I just wanted to say I’m sorry for letting everyone down. I made a very bad decision. Don’t make the same mistake I did, especially in season. It will just end up screwing you over in the end. I’m really sorry, and I regret everything that happened on Saturday night.”

She then said she was glad everyone was caught because it taught her partying wasn’t a safe or healthy thing to be doing frequently.

Even though most kids probably don’t look through the athletic hand-book, when you sign it, did you know you are agreeing to the consequences of substance abuse?

Offenses for substance abuse involve sitting out of practices and team events in increments of two weeks for up to one full year. Coaches may alter these consequences depending on the situation.

You signed the handbook, you agreed to the consequences. If a you are caught red-handed with substances that you should not have,

you have no one to blame but yourself.If you put yourself in a situation where you know there’s going to be plen-

ty of kids with substances they should not have, and know in the back of your mind there is going to be trouble, why join in?


editorial

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:Austin ShapiroMANAGING EDITOR:Scott Crompton

EDITORS

DESIGN: Candice WiesnerFEATURES: Katie Johnson ENTERTAINMENT: Ryan AliapoliousNEWS: Heather SillerOPINIONS: David PisanoPHOTO: Jeff LeonardSPORTS: Charlie PettitHEALTH & TRENDS: Celia KuzonU-PAGE: Hunter LyonsCOPY: Maria Brundage & Michelle Chirby

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Chas Sloan, Val Argiero, Nora Green, Leah Gibson, Maria Brundage

MANAGERS

ADVERTISMENT: Caitlin Henderson, Brittany MartiniCONSTEST: Nic Miller, Kyle Boren, Jake LaRosa

STAFF WRITERS

Sarah Akbarifard, Kyle Boren, Maria Brundage, Kevin Butler, Michelle Chirby, Shantal Daratony, Alex Everard, Aaron Gilman, Caitlin Henderson, Matthew Kaas, Jake Larosa Pat Ledwidge, Brittany Martini, Erin MacAweeny, Ian McCarthy, Kurt Miller, Nic Miller, Brent Muse, Morgan Quist, Lisa Richie, Joe Sayre, Olivia Scheffl er, Kaitlyn Shepard, Alexis Sobczak, Karly Stanislovaitis, Allison Sutter, Emily VanDusen, Kevin Yarrows.

CARTOONIST

David Bays

ADVISER

Rod Satterthwaite

POLICY:The Squall is distributed monthly to 1,192 students and is estimated to reach 4,786 people with each issue. The Squall is printed by Owosso Argus Press in Owosso, MI and produced by the fi rst and second hour newspaper class.

TALK BACK:The Squall is an open forum for student expression. It accepts letters to the editor from 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.

AWARDS/MEMBERSHIPS:

Members of MIPA since 1999Michigan Interscholastic Press Association

Members of NSPA since 2001National Scholastic Press Association

6 Spartan Awards

1 Gold Crown

1 Silver Crown

1 Pacemaker

•

•

SquallTHE

To help infrastructure, traf-fi c and pedestrian safety, campus building security, land acquisi-tion, bus replacement, technology replacement, energy effi ciency, athletic facilities, music and per-formance facilities, Wylie Pool, Al Ritt Stadium and the senior center, the district will get $62 million if voters in May approve a proposed bond.

But the bond can only help these specifi c areas, and nothing else, which makes it diffi cult to support, through no fault of the district it-self.

In 1993, the Michigan legisla-ture passed Proposal A, which among other things restricts the areas that bonds can fund. For ex-

ample, money from a bond issue approved by voters can be used to buy computers but not computer software or programs. The mon-ey also cannot to be spent on new teachers but can be spent to put additions on schools. But why add on to a school if there are more classrooms than teachers?

School districts get money from the state based on how many stu-dents attend. Infl ation causes more stress on school funding, but school funding from the state doesn’t keep up with infl ation. In addition, gas prices skyrocket but schools still have the same amount of money to spend on gas to fi ll the buses to transport children to and from school.

The areas that the proposed $62 million bond would fund at the high school include new doors outside of the gym, new security cameras and fi xing tile at the en-trance of the school.

But the bond, because of state limitations, cannot even cover new teachers, textbooks or computer programs. So is all of this really necessary?

We recognize that the district could use money to keep build-ings up to date. Unfortunately, the state doesn’t allow the district to completely decide what areas the bond money can fund. The district could really use money, just not in the areas that the state permits it to use the bond in.

the all

SQUALLcall:

State bears blame if bond issue fails

Erin McAweenyStaff Writer

Morgan QuistStaff Writer ConPro

Athletes deserve punishment for drinking in season


photostory

For senior cross-country runner Nathan Magyar, cross-country meets are the same routine. He stretches. warms up. and when the gun sounds, BAM! He’s off.

Magyar has been through this many times, and, in fact, he says meets are his favorite part of being on the team.

“I really enjoy running in the meets, be-cause that’s when you see all the results of your hard work,” he said.

Coach Jaime Dudash agrees, but wants to make it clear that hard work is not the only part of cross-country. “When you can be fun-ny, and sometimes I do silly things, it makes (the guys) realize that it’s just plain fun to come to practice,” he said.

And Dudash has a laid-back attitude for succeeding this cross-country season. “I

think the best thing you can do is try to not necessarily top each year but to try and be the best team you can with the athletes that you have,” he said

This is encouraging for young freshmen joining this year, who will have no short sup-ply of support from teammates or Dudash.

“I think the most important thing you can do (as a coach) is be an encourager and push the athletes to new places they didn’t think possible,” he said.

Magyar said he is also there to encourage and push the athletes, but he does not have the same responsibilities as Dudash.

“My job, as captain, is to support every in-dividual on the team and make sure they go to every meet feeling confident that they’re go-ing to do well and contribute personally and to the team as a whole,” he said. “I also make sure they know where practices are and things like that, but I also make sure they have fun throughout the season.”

I am Spartacus: Senior George Berger and freshman Cory Birchmeier cheer during the movie “300” along with the rest of the cross country guys.

Ready for some violence: Senior captain Alex Hess, junior Ken Metz and junior

Jason Bishop watch the film “300” together at Hess’ house during a

pasta dinner. “We have pasta dinners because

they are good for getting us pumped before meets.

Anything gory makes us want to go out and slaughter,” Hess said.

One heckuva coach: Cross country coach Jaime Dudash oversees a practice session. Under Dudash’s coaching, the mens team has won the Division II state championships for five consecutive years.

To the finish line: Junior Ian Nystrom finishes his race at SEC jamboree where he finished tenth.

Going for six straight

Karly Stanislovaitisstaff writer

Water break: Seniors Ben Steav-enson, Bobby Aprill and junior Jason Bishop stop for a drink of water during practice.

The top three at the SEC jamboree: Seniors Bobby Aprill, Ben Steavenson, and junior Jason Bishop make up the lead pack at the SEC jamboree. All three stu-dent athletes made all-conference.

And he wins: Junior Ken Metz passes a Chelsea runner in the last 200 meters of a race. His performance in the race helped him achieve all-conference status.

Mens cross country again in the hunt for a state championship, tries to keep it fun

photos by Jeff Leonard and Candice Wiesner

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