A1·news·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

Civilians protesting in Ferguson, Mo. The case over the death of Michael Brown has sparked protests just like this one all across the nation.

TABLE OFCONTENTS

NEWS A1-A2OPINION A3

FYE A4

SECTION BSPORTS B1-B2

FEATURE B3-B4

SECTION A

IN SECTION A

IMMIGRATIONA2CIVIL UNREST

FASHION

A3A4

B2

IN SECTION B

POM PONB1BOWLING

TEACHER ED

B2B3B4 HOLIDAYS

What other holidays are there? Read on page B4 and find out!

Boys vs. girls in sports, what is it really like? Turn to page B2 to find out!

THE

G B H S S T U D E N T P R E S SBOBCATBANNER

A4

Check out the GB fashion layout on page A4. You could look like a celebrity.

December 17, 2014vol . 50 issue 4

If you’ve ever driven on Saginaw Street through downtown Grand Blanc, there’s about a 100 percent chance that you've seen - or even driven under - the massive rusting viaduct that branches off of Cen-ter Road and crosses over Saginaw Street. The viaduct serves only two purposes in Grand Blanc; as a section of railroad track and as an

eyesore to the entryway of downtown Grand Blanc. However, as of July of this year, Grand Blanc Mayor Susan Sondrestrom pro-posed a building project to beautify the viaduct. The project consists of the construction of two arches, one on the north-bound and one on the southbound sides of the viaduct. The arches will feature signs that read “Welcome to Grand Blanc”

and act as the new entry-way into the town. “I just think it'll be a wonderful welcome to our community instead of look-ing at that viaduct,” Mayor Sondrestrom said in an in-terview with MLive earlier this year. According to MLive.com, the Grand Blanc community has raised ap-proximately $100,000, with donations from the Grand Blanc Chamber of Com-merce and many others. On Wednesday, Nov. 26, GBCS hosted a “Hat Day” to help raise money for the arches through

donations from the students and staff. According to the Business Office, the overall total raised on Hat Day was $1622.45. There is about $80,000 left to raise in order to be-gin construction on the GB arches. With such a “small” amount left to go, our town is only that much closer to becoming a more attractive place to visit and live in.

The Ferguson case has put a spot light on police brutality and has sparked tension across America. When the grand jury did not indict Officer Wilson for the death of Michael Brown, riots broke out and protesters took to the streets. In Michigan, we had more than our fair share of protests. College campuses were wild with protesters. There was also a group of protesters who marched in a line on the north entrance of I-75. This resulted in shutting down the freeway for half an hour in order to get the situation under control. This group chanting “no justice, no peace” spread their demonstration across downtown Detroit. The police quickly broke up this protest for it was seen as a danger to the public. Eastern Michigan University students also protested not just against the verdict of the Ferguson case, but against several cases much like this one with the same outcome. In one of the demonstrations the students laid on the ground as if they were dead with the names of deceased victims on them. These are just a few of so many protests going on at EMU, the state of Michi-gan, and all around the nation. This case has started

HunterBostleyNEWS EDITOR

the beginning of what seems like big revolution against police brutality. There was another po-lice brutality case involving the New York Police De-partment recently as well. Eric Garner was illegally selling cigarettes. When he did not cooperate with the police, he was attacked and died due to the measures taken. There are common trends in these cases: it is a

black victim against a white officer, and the officer faces mild or no charges. There are also two dominating opinions in most of these cases. The first being that the victims were handled too severely and the officer was at fault. Those who carry this opin-ion usually lean towards and obvious indictment, and a heavy punishment for the officer. The other side of this is that the officers are either untrained and have to make snap judgments, or are sim-ply doing their job when they use the force they do against these supposed criminals. The two sides being so different have divided the nation.

“I want everyone to stop look at the criminal accu-sations of these men and look at the big picture,” junior Ruby Johnson.said. Both sides do have very valid evidence to support their claims though. The first argument siding with the victim has the past cases, and obvi-ous policies tampering with evidence before it is presented in court. And for the Ferguson case

specifically they have serious facts includ-ing Brown’s dead body being left out for hours before Emer-gency Services could reach him. “From the offi-cer’s stand point, he seemed to be bending the truth, or missing pieces,” junior Nate Gilmore said. On the other hand, Officer Wilson was

told to apprehend Brown, and told the court that he seemed like a serious threat, in which case using his gun was appropriate. Whether that was the case in Wilson’s situation, we may never truly know, but the jury did believe Wilson in his explanation of the crime. The facts of this spe-cific case are few and far between and some don’t add up. In the end it is the word of the officer and a dead victim, and there is no disputing who that favors. What the future holds for this case and the oth-ers just like it is currently unclear, but America is anxiously awaiting.

FERGUSON

Ferguson protests not only take over Missouri, but America as well

NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE

“

“

--Protesters in Detroit

GB ArchesNew beautification project startedHunterBostleyNEWS EDITOR

MeghanOtenbakerNEWS EDITOR

This is the official design plan for the GB arches. Al-though there is one, there will be two arches built.

The one thing students are always warned about through their entire school careers is the ACT. The ACT, being the most im-portant test of a student’s academic life, not only determines academic skill, but can also be the deciding factor on college applica-tions. But now, as of the 2014 school year, there is a new test to prepare for, The M-STEP Test. The Michigan Student Test of Educational Prog-ress, or M-STEP, was developed by the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Standards and As-sessment and is a branch of the Michigan Merit Exami-nation (MME). As of this year, the M-STEP will take the place of the MEAP for grades 3-8

and be used as another as-sessment tool for grade 11. One feature that sets this test apart from it’s counter-parts of the MME is that it is an online exam, and will be tested during the end of April 2015 instead of being bulked in with regular ACT test week in March of 2015. Each building in the dis-trict got to decide whether or not to go with the online test or the paper and pencil version. The high school has elected to stick with paper and pencil this year. “The MME will con-tinue to be a graduation requirement, which consists of ACT plus writing, the WorkKeys, and the M-STEP,” Dr. Hammond said. Now, not only do your brains and your pencils have to be sharp in March, but be sure to brush up on your facts for the M-STEP in April. Get ready for an-other test GBHS.

M-STEP

MeghanOtenbakerNEWS EDITOR

Students facing new test for 2015

Photo Credit: JamelleBouie

Photo Credit: SignsbyCrannie

News Analysis

B4

A2·news·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

Thanks to the creative minds and brilliant talents of many technologically - savvy people, in this mod-ern era of iPhones and apps - the world is gifted with many new games and social media sites on a daily basis. With these advances there are also set backs; glitches in this divine system. The After School app being one of those imperfections. This app has caused some serious complications in numerous schools here in Michigan. More specifically, this app has caused issues here at GBHS. There was said to be students posting

inappropriate comments, pictures, and video of other students and faculty at the school. This issue was shared to administrators and parents. After the school threat-ened the use of police intervention, the issue died down. What we had no idea about was that the issue was only beginning for other schools. Flushing High School was next in this “cyberbul-lying domino effect.” On Dec. 2, reports were made to the administrative staff that a threat was made over the After School app that read, “Bringing a gun to School.” The staff acted immedi-ately, contacting the police to track the student through this “anonymous” app. The student’s name has not been disclosed to the media, but

reports are showing that not only the Flushing Township police were involved in the situation, but also that the FBI got involved in the matter as well. As of recent reports from MLive, the 18-year old student is now in custody of the Flushing Township Police following an investigation and had an arraignment date of Dec. 9. According to MLive, “The student faces a charge of misuse of a telecommunica-tions device and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, Dec. 9, in Genesee County District Court.” In his arraignment, the court analyzed the situtaion at hand. It has now been de-cided that the student faces up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000. Because the arraignment was not an actual trial case,

many Americans. Obama’s execu-tive order was put into place to push congress to draft a bill. The reality is nothing can be done unless Con-gress can fund his decision. “For a year and a half, Re-publican lead-ers in the House simply would not allow the vote,” President Obama said in his speech about his order in Chicago. Con-gress has “the power of the purse” and they cannot come to an agree which puts every-

Obama speaks on immigration

Immigration has been a heated topic for several years. Some feel that since this is a country nicknamed “The Melting Pot” that all should be welcome. Others believe that there should be little to no immigration because the people coming in are taking jobs and other opportunities. President Obama ex-ecutive order focuses deporting those who aren’t paying taxes and com-mitting crimes, and allow the opportunity to acquire citizenship to those who are working for their families. This has stirred up a serious amount of contro-versy among congress, and

one at a bit of a cross roads. If Congress cannot bring

President Obama speaking about his order on immigratoin. Will congress fund the order?

President Obama makes an executive order on illegal immigration, but will congress fit the bill to enforce it?HunterBostleyNEWS EDITOR

FAST FACTS

+ 11.7 million illegal immigrants in U.S

+ 5 million illegal immigrants being given citizenship

HunterBostleyNEWS EDITOR

the student will be held un-til his official pretrail date, which is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2015. One might wonder who the masterminds behind this app are. Cory Levy and Michael Callahan are employees of One, a San-Francisco - based social media startup company. The two men released the app in mid-November with a description that reads, “After School is an anonymous and private mesage board for your school! Post confessions, funny experiences, compli-ments, and more!” At first sight, the app sounds innocent, but re-cent events have proven that sometimes even good intentions have negative consequences. This can be inferred from the reviews that follow the description

as well. Titles like “Truly Disgraceful” and “SHUT DOWN THIS APP” head many reviews, each fol-lowed by a full page write up of the terrors of After School. Although a vast majority of the app is used for post-ing inappropriate subject matter, there are some posts made out of attempt to bring the kindness back into the app. “ There were some nice things that people were posting,” junior Morgan Otero said. “But then it got really mean and awful so I got rid of the app. I didn’t want to see stuff like that.” Due to recent events in the Michigan area alone, schools all over the United States are warning parents and students of the app and the dangers that it can pres-ent if used.

Since the app’s release, Levy and Callahan have not made any statements regarding the bullying and inappropriate comments posted on their app. How-ever, there have been some modifications made to help limit the amount of nega-tive or inappropriate con-tent posted. The app’s rating, which was originally 12+, has now been increased to a maturity level of 17+. There has also been the addition of a report button for users to help identify inappropriate content. The Apple Store has currently taken down the app, but for how long is uncertain. For those who already have it, the damage is done. Efforts will need to continue in order to stop the spread of negativity and inappropriate content.

What happens After School?Students commiting crimes through After School app

themselves to come to an agreement nothing can

MeghanOtenbakerNEWS EDITOR

Photo Credit: HunterBostley

Photo Credit: ChuckKennedy

be done for any-one. The order can neither be rejected, or funded. This order would allow 5 million illegal im-migrants currently living in the U.S. to live out of hiding and not have to live in fear of deporta-tion. Obama expressed some of his frustra-tion in his speech, “What you’re not paying attention to is, that I just took an action to change the law,” What happens next seems to be in the Hands of Congress, and America is patiently waiting.

A3·opinion·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

Staff Editorial

Editor-in-Chief: Rylie Daniels

Managing Editor:Ty GarzaBusiness Manager:Andrea Northrup

News Editors:Hunter BostleyMeghan Otenbaker

Feature Editor:Kelly Grant

Feature Writers:Corrin FancherOlivia WyzgoskiSabrina Jarrah

Opinion Editor:Luc SavoieOpinion Writers:Chase ChismShelby Morrish

Sports Editors:Aliiah EsquivelJake RogersSports Writer:Caitlin JohnsonLauren Carr

FYE Editor:Angela Kiester

FYE Writers:Cyerra HaywoodMaddi Vedder

Illustrator:Naomi Sauvola

Advisor:Nick Popadich

Photo Editor:Mikayla Gilbert

LucSavoieOPINION EDITOR

What would you do with $185,000? What could a community do with that kind of money? Well Grand Blanc has decided to cover up an eye sore with it. The viaduct that is seen while coming into Grand Blanc are owned by CSX, a company that refuses to clean it up. Grand Blanc Mayor Susan Soderstrom set out to find a solution to this prob-lem and found the company would let her do very little and not pay for a thing. “Since CSX require-ments will not let us do anything to their bridge, I, along with the Viaduct Committee, initiated an alternative to put arches across Saginaw Street,” Soderstrom said in her open letter to Grand Blanc as featured on the Grand Blanc View. “This will welcome everyone to our community and draw one’s eyes away from the ugly CSX struc-ture.”

This cover up will come at a cost though, $185,000, according to MLive. Where is the city getting this money from? “We have at this time pledges from the City, Township, DDA , Chamber of Commerce, Joe Serra Enterprise and McDon-alds,” Soderstrom said. “We are excited about this project and look for-ward to engaging the whole community in our fundrais-ing challenge.” And including the whole community also means Grand Blanc students from kindergarten to high school. On November 26, Grand Blanc schools held a dis-trict wide “hat day” mean-ing that if a student paid one dollar, they could wear a hat inside the building all day. All of the money raised, over 1,600 dollars, went to the arches cause. That means that the city asked our school district for funds.

For one fundraiser, classes “adopted” families and raised money to buy them Christmas presents. We also had a competition for bringing in non-perish-able food items to fill the FISH pantries. How could we possibly place higher importance on something “ugly” than on food for those in need? There are plenty of wor-thy causes that need money. There are people in our city who have their lives on the line from various diseases that don’t have cures. How can the school take money from students that is expected to go to a good cause and then give it to a vain one? Who is the city to ask for money from our schools to fund their beautification project? The city is supposed to help the school, it shouldn’t be a two way bridge with money running across it.

Design Editor:Zach Manes

Black lives matterCivil unrest in America in response to police immunity

On August 9, Mike Brown of Ferguson, Mis-souri was shot and killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. There’s been a lot of debate over the circumstances of the shooting, but there are a few things we know for sure. Officer Wilson gunned down 18-year-old Brown in the street because he claims the teen had stolen $5 cigarellos from a nearby convenience store. Despite this, even if someone was to steal ci-

gars, it is in no way justifi-able to shoot an unarmed man several times over petty theft. Even if he tried to defend himself, a police officer is literally trained to subdue unarmed men they deem a threat. So, all in all, we have a police officer who shoots a black un-armed 18-year-old several times in the head and chest for a crime that possibly wasn’t committed and for a crime that would not have warranted such violence anyway. But that’s the deep South, right? That’s ex-pected from them. What’s going on in other parts of the country, say, New York. On July 17, black citizen Eric Garner, 43, of Staten Island, New York City was accused of illegally sell-ing cigarettes. He asked the officers to please leave him alone, and claimed he hadn’t done anything. In the middle of his sentence,

NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo snuck up behind him and put him into a chokehold, a tactic which was deemed unethical and

banned for practice by the NYPD. Soon, Garner was swarmed by several other white police officers and pressed into the ground, all the while screaming that he was not able to breathe. With his asthma, breath-

ing was already difficult enough before an officer of the law illegally wrapped his arm around Garner’s neck until he stopped strug-

gling and died. How do we know so much about Garner’s death? Just like Ferguson, all we have are several similar eyewitness reports, right? Wrong. We have a legitimate, clear, and audible film recording of

the entire incident. From start to finish, Americans got the chance to watch a video of a gang murder of a non-violent father of six by a bunch of thugs wear-ing black outfits and shiny, bronze badges. On August 1, medical examiners con-firmed that death was to be considered a homicide. So, all these horrible murders aside, at least there’s justice for these murders, right? Wrong. Both officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo were not indicted by the Grand Jury. Despite everything that happened, there weren’t even trials for two men who had been murdered, both of which very publicly and in broad daylight, and one of which was entirely on film. It may be a coincidence that these men were black and that the officers were white. It may be a coincidence that similar situations happen

to minorities all over the country every year. If you really believe that the white-dominant Ameri-can police force never treats citizens differently based on race, despite seemingly obvious evidence, then that’s up to you. But you have to at least acknowl-edge the fact that people are being publicly murdered for petty or nonexistent crimes and the police officers are walking with immunity to their actions. All the ambiguity in the Ferguson incident didn’t exist at all in Staten Island, and it didn’t make a single difference. In times like these, it’s important to stand together and show everyone that black lives matter. All lives matter. Regardless of skin color, there cannot be any more police brutality if we ever dare to call ourselves “The Land Of The Free” again.

Rumors behind the bell ringersIs the beloved Salvation Army actually advocating hate?

‘Tis the season for the Salvation Army bell ring-ers to start appearing on the streets again. It never fails; every year people stand out in the freezing cold in those red aprons collecting money for the Salvation Army. Rumors have been go-ing around for years now that the “bell-ringers” have a problem with same sex

couples. Is this really the case, or are people trying to find a way out of donating to the organization? Venturing out into the public, just to get guilt tripped into putting money into that box isn’t any-body’s ideal situation. There are numerous articles posted online about “why you shouldn’t donate to the bellringers” and that “the Salvation Army is ringing anti-gay bells this holiday.” From year to year, these articles are shared on other social media sites and cause people to second guess giving their spare change. An email was sent to the head of the Salvation Army, and for some reason, no response. Don’t get me wrong, what they do for people is

really thoughtful but the rumors are getting out of hand. It has obviously been brought to everybody’s attention since there is a tab on the Salvation Army website, salvationarmyusa.org, titled “The Salvation Army and the LGBT Com-munity.” It states in the article the Salvation Army fully supports the LGBT community and that they don’t discriminate against sexual orientation. So, there you have it. After a period of time with seemingly suspicious behavior, the company has come out and dispelled the rumors. So, I would say feel free to donate this holiday season, and remem-ber to always do extensive research before boycotting an organization!

ShelbyMorrishOPINION WRITER

Kid’s cash well spent?

Real Life Laughs NaomiSauvola

ILLUSTRATOR

STAFF LISTING

Photography Credit: JamelleBouie

Across America, citizens in mourning create memorials to Michael Brown

Bobcat Banner staff hard at work creating the layout of this issue.

Photography Credit: NickPopadich

Where will you look?

A4·FYE·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

1) Fifty-nine percent of students at Grand Blanc High School watch Netflix with some friends when snowed in: Netflix is an online movie streaming app that has movies, TV shows, and documenta-ries that you can watch. So why not spend some time on the sofa, and relax with your favorite thing to watch? With so much to choose from, almost everybody can enjoy the many options of Netflix.

with any occasion. When it’s too cold to wear your leather jacket, a big fur parka is perfect for your chilly days. Underneath your jackets and coats, a nice, thick cable-knit sweater will be sure to keep you warm. Even though we can’t always afford what the celebrities wear, there are always pieces that we can find to fit our budget. Here are ways to take the looks of celebs and turn it into everyday Grand Blanc Wear.

1) Netflix

2) Sledding/

Snowborading/

Skiing

4)Taking Pictures

Outside 3)Snowball

Fight

4)Snowpaint

2) Twenty-three percent of students would choose Snowboarding/ Skiing/ Sledding: Shred the gnar bro! No but really, go have fun with your friends or even alone. Take a sled to a big hill or hit Mt. Holly. Whichever one you choose, remember that there’s always competi-tion.

Five Things To Do When SNow

ed In

MaddiVedderFYE WRITER

3) Ten percent would en-gage in a Snowball fight: Who doesn’t want to pelt someone with balls of frozen water? Pick some friends and maybe even teams, then get snow-ballin. You can even make a fort to defend yourself from getting hit. Remem-ber to stay safe though, you don’t want to hurt anybody.

4) Six percent of students would have photoshoots: Take some cool pictures of you, your friends, animals, or random things in the snow. This option might be for someone who wants to stay active and not just be lazy for the day.

5) Only 2 percent of students would Paint Some Snow: Snow paint-ing is when you mix food coloring and water in a squirt bottle. Then take the bottle outside and squirt the colored mixture onto the snow to make art. Remember everything is considered art, so have fun with it.

Movies to Watch This Break

Celebrity styleGrand Blanc wear Regardless of our thoughts on individual ce-lebrities, they appear in the media and therefore appear in our minds. We see what they do, how they live, and what they wear. Individuality is a huge part of growing up. Show-ing your true colors in everything that you do, including your fashion sense, means you take pride in yourself. That’s what the stars do and even though we might not like to admit it, we copy them sometimes.

Fashion trends are dif-ferent for every season. The floral pieces from spring or the crop tops and high-waisted shorts from summer might not be the warmest pick for the cold season. Since we got those ideas from our fashion-gurus in the media, why not choose our outfits based on what they wear during the winter too? Winter is the perfect time to sport a warm, heavy leather jacket. Casual long-sleeve dresses go well

RylieDanielsEDITOR IN CHIEF

AngelaKiesterFYE EDITOR

Photo Credit: Flic

kr.com

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Photo Credit: MaddiVedder

Photo Credit: IanGreig

Photo Credit: RylieDaniels

Ph

oto

Cre

dit

: Rex

Fea

ture

s

Ph

oto

Cred

it: PA

Ph

oto

s

Photo Credit: Rex FeaturesPhoto Credit: Wenn

Marc Jacobs Fur Jacket $415

Gucci Cable Knit Sweater $730

BCBG Long Sleeve Dress $368

Fossil Leather Jacket$448

Pacsun Leather Jacket $45

Target Long Sleeve Dress$17.50

TargetFur Jacket$45

Forever 21 Cable Knit Sweater $22.50

Making Fashion Affordable

B1·sports·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

All Sports Scores Hockey: 2-4-1 vs. Pickney 5-5 T vs. Waterford United 10-5 W vs. Powers Catholic 4-3 L vs. Hartland 4-1 L vs. Canton 3-2 L vs. Milford 6-2 W vs. Lakeland 4-1 L

Freshman Girls Basketball: 2-1 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 50-42 W vs. Davison 40-23 W vs. Saginaw Heritage 41-27 L

JV Girls Basketball: 1-2 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 42-23 W vs. Saginaw Heritage 53-27 L

Varsity Girls Basketball: 1-2 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 66-47 L

Shake it like a Pom PonGBVP transitions from football to basketball

CaitlinJohnsonSOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Dancing on the football field as opposed to the bas-ketball court may not seem like that much of an adjust-ment. Well, according to the varsity pom pon team, it is quite a transition, as it is an exciting change. “Because we are on a gym floor, it is a lot easier to do certain tricks because we don’t have to worry about the mud on the foot-ball field so it’s easier to put more turns in,” captain Alli Berry said. Not only does this team have to make up new dances for all of the varsity home basketball games, but they are also training for a competition com-ing up in Jan. called UDA Pom Nationals, high school division. This competition will be hosted in Orlando, Florida, and brings in teams from all over the country. “We have added in weekend practices in edi-tion to our regular prac-tices, which are everyday of the week beginning at 5:30 a.m.” Berry said. Dances for competi-tion can range between one

minute and 30 seconds, to two minutes and 30 sec-onds, but their competition dance mix happens to be 2 minutes long. “So far my favorite memory was our team sleepover because we all got super close, and were able to form a bond that’s unbreakable,” junior Libby Wicker said. Many people that are on teams have someone that they can come to for any troubles within the sport. “I look up to Alli be-cause even if we do some-thing wrong, she always has something positive to say, and she’s always there for you, and I love her for that,” Mackenzie Clark said.

The team captains, Alli Berry, Lindsey Landon, and Sarah Kennedy, try to make their last year on Pom the best for the team as they are graduating in 2015. “I really appreciate all that the captains do with their leadership roles, help-ing the team be the best that they can be, and being so dedicated day in and day out,” Wicker said, “I hope to be a captain someday.” Nevertheless, the girls will try their best at practic-es, and performances while maintaining their personal life schedules. “The girls inspire me to try my hardest every day because of their work ethic,” captain Lindsey Landon said.

The team gets together, pointing their right toe towards the center for their “team prayer.”

Ph

oto

Cre

dit

: Kay

laM

ayer

Ruthless RivalsTeams prepare for their toughest competitors

Photo Credit: MikaylaGilbert ichigan State

crushed their rivals, Michigan, in football with a 35-11 win. Michigan State went on to be defeated by Ohio State 49-37. The big-gest question for students and athletes alike now is who will be the biggest competitors at the high school this season? With a history of high ranks, the water polo team looks forward to facing big schools on their trip back to the top. After hours spent in the pool, the team hopes to see their stands flooded

with fans. Working with returning players, as well as new faces, both boys and girls look forward to big titles. “We’re facing a lot of really good teams this season,” senior Kara Chi-navere said. “Grand Ledge will be the toughest team, though. We’ve been train-ing hard for that meet.” While the swimmers hit the pool, many students headed to Perani Arena to cheer on the hockey team. Aside from Grand Blanc fans in the stands, many

Davison hockey players dropped in to watch their rival play against Powers. Davison senior, Brandon Orth, played for varsity in the 2013 season. He at-tended the game to see how his old teammates measure up. With the game being on Feb. 18, both teams are preparing for Perani to be packed. “Playing GB is always a huge game for us,” Orth said. “It’s one of the most looked forward to games, since the team is a big com-petitor.”

While the hockey team concentrates on big upcom-ing games, the cheerleading team began prepping and pepping for their com-petitive season before the football season concluded. With regionals being a major goal achieved last year, they aim to break new boundaries and attend larg-er competitions this year, as well as triumph over other highly ranked teams. “At the rate we’re going, we could have a chance at making it to states,” sophomore Elizabeth Evans

said. “We’ve made a lot of improvements this sum-mer, and we really hope we can beat Hartland this year. That's been the team's goal for a long time.” The basketball team has also had a multitude of goals in mind. Varsity alumni Alex Brackett has kept an eye on the new team and gave his predic-tion of the season. “Carman will be an im-portant game for the team,” Brackett said. “They’re Grand Blanc's crosstown rival and it’s for city brag-

ging rights. Howell will be a big rivalry, as well. After they ended our season last year, the team will want to beat them for that. They really need to focus on hav-ing a good defense if they want to play a lot, though.” Aside from the differing goals of each team, Brack-ett offered words of advice that can apply to athletes of all kinds. “New athletes need to go out and play hard,” Brackett said. “It’s im-portant to play smart, and always listen to their coach no matter what.”

LaurenCarrSports Writer

MBryan Pollard reaches to stop the lay-up from the opposing team. The Bobcats won the game against Carmen-Ainsworth with a score of 54-40.

vs. Davison 51-48 W vs. Saginaw Heritage 40-29 L

Freshman Boys Basketball: 1-0 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 69-46 W

JV Boys Basketball: 0-1 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 57-55 L

Varsity Boys Basketball: 1-0 vs. Carmen-Ainsworth 54-40 W

Boys Bowling: 1-0 vs. Hartland 22-8 W

Girls Bowling: 1-0 vs. Hartland 28-2 W

Boys Swimming: 1-0 vs. Saginaw Heritage 115-68 W

B2·sports·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

Rolling into bowling

JacobRogersFEMALE SPORTS EDITOR

The bowling team’s ready to knock down competiton

“Did you catch the bowl-ing match last night?” This, is probably a ques-tion most students aren’t usually asked. Nor is it something many would even know how to answer. Although bowling is not a particularly rare or un-common sport, it is a high school sport much like oth-er smaller team sports that can be often overlooked. Bowling is a game that has been around for hundreds of years (10-pin bowling originating in 300 A.D.) and the simple layout of the sport is something that nearly everyone can easily get into. Most people have had some experience or another with bowling. But few re-ally understand the pressure and stakes that bowlers face every time they enter the alley. No, Wii bowling and a handful games with your family with the bumpers up doesn’t count. Real bowling is much different. “It can take hard work sometimes but I have a lot

of fun,” senior Jaquan Tay-lor said. “I’ve always really enjoyed playing.” The team has regularly scheduled matches as well as tournaments. Preparation for these events are key. “It takes a lot of com-mitment for the team,” senior Taylor Kubik said. “It’s not easy to be consis-tent and you need to really focus on it and concen-trate.” The athletes express great passion and dedica-tion to the game but this is not all it takes to compete against other athletes from around the area. The Grand Blanc bowlers possess seri-ous skill. Senior Andrea Sykes, a member of the varsity team, has made the only state cham-pionship appear-ance the team has had during her time at the high school. “I just really like bowling,” Sykes said. “It’s really fun to play and com-pete.”

That pretty much sums up the attitude for most bowlers. “I don’t try to take bowl-ing too seriously,” junior Patrick Ross said. “I mean, it is just a game and I like to play it that way, just for fun.” Fun always seems to be an important factor to the students. But no matter how they look at the sport, each player is vital to the success of the team. “It’s important to me because I’ve been doing it since I was a kid,” Kubick said. “I take pride in my bowling.” The team’s next match is on Jan. 8 at Century Bowl against Waterford Mott.

TyGarzaMANAGING EDITOR

Emma Curtis celebrates with teammate Eryn Scannell after becoming the 50 yard free state champion.

Grand Blanc is at it yet again. State champions. Not as a team though, one athlete on their own. Sophomore Emma Cur-tis went to state finals with the girls swim and dive team and swam out as state champion. In the 50-yard freestyle, Curtis qualified for finals and was seeded second with a time of 23.69 sec-onds. She then won the 50-yard freestyle by .01 sec-onds with a time of 23.60 seconds becoming the first

Grand Blanc swim and dive champion in 22 years. “I’m really proud of her,” junior brother Bailey Curtis said. “She really deserved it.” Not only was her family proud of her but so were her teammates, even though they didn’t necessarily see it coming. “We were hoping she would get into the top three this year, but we weren’t expecting her to win,” se-nior teammate Eryn Scan-nell said. “I didn’t think she

Ph

oto

Cre

dit

: Ery

nSca

nn

ell

would win during the race, but she pulled it off.” Curtis later earned all-state honors in the 100-yard freestyle by finishing fourth with a time of 52.01 sec-onds and in the 200-yard freestyle. It was a great year for Curtis and an even better ending. With two years left with the team, things are looking great for the rest of Curtis’ high school career.

There are many sports that both males and females play. At GBHS, the overall season ticket sales are not surprising (these numbers don’t include the amount of punch cards sold). It’s a sad fact, but everyone knows that male sports are more popular than female sports. The amount of people in the stands proves this. For the basketball sea-

son, guys tickcet sales were 3926 and girls 1079. For soccer, guys sold 1462 tickets and girls 769. Swim and dive sold 327 tickets during guy’s match-es and 597 during girls. Not only do male sports have more powerful boost-ers programs, they are also larger programs through-out the school. How many people can say that they went to a girls basketball game over going to a guys basketball game? As a female athlete, you are already prepared for the fact that not very many people will come to watch you. Some people say its because guys have a more rounded skill set and that they are “stronger” than the girls, but that is completely false and stereotypical. Title IX a program that

is helping females get more of an equal opportunity with athletics, scholarships and competitions at an elite level. Not only is Title IX helping with the participa-tion rates, it is also trying to get more funding for female athletics because the fund-ing provided, is lacking. This school year, we had a great start when Alicia Woollcott joined the fresh-man football team. She is showing everybody that girls can be just as skilled as the guys on a competi-tive level. “I liked watching foot-ball my entire life and I was a football cheerleader in seventh grade, I was just watching the guys play and I was kinda like ‘Hey, I can do that,’” Woollcott said. Following that, she de-

Boys vs. Girls Does it make a difference in sports?

MikaylaGilbert

SPORTS COLUMNIST

Modern Day MermaidSwimmer becomes state champion

cided to play for the school and has played since then. She plays wide receiver and middle linebacker. Throughout the season she played almost every game for the freshman team. “At first, I think he thought I was kidding, but as the season progressed they realized I was seri-ous,” Woollcott said “They treat me like one of the guys, and they push me just as hard as they do everyone else” Woolcott’s case deter-mination shows that girls are every bit as passionate about sports and should be valued for their athleticism. The trouble is the bias against female sports is everywhere. This year, in the Banner we decided to have a male and female sports editor to make sure

that both male and female sports are publicized. Check out the upcoming sports schedule and go to a

Illustration Credit: RylieDaniels

Alicia Woolcot poses side by side with varsity football player David Ragatz. She played on the freshman football team for almost every game.

Ph

oto

Cre

dit

: Mik

ayla

Gilb

ert

Grand Blanc Eyes

1125 S. Saginaw Street Grand Blanc MI

810-694-EYES

Dr. Peter M. AgnoneDr. Ann A. WalkerDr. Stacey A. Alarie

Go Bobcats!

girls game. With more ex-posure, it might just change the minds of other people attending GBHS.

B3·feature·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

CTE program gives students hands-on opportunities in the field

KellyGrantFEATURE EDITOR

Photo Credit: KellyGrant

Select: femaleHow girls are depicted and affected in the video game industry

Turn on console, select game, press start, activate protagonist. Activate a male protagonist, most likely. Even though a 2014 study from the Entertain-ment Software Association states that 48 percent of gamers are women, repre-sentation and fair portrayal of women is not so close to equal. With a majority of games starring primarily male heroes, that 48 per-cent of women may feel a bit slighted. “Minecraft is one of the most popular games among kids and I think that, I’m estimating here, but it feels

like the game went five years before it introduced a female character that little girls could choose to play,” English teacher Dana Bleicher stated. “Before that, you just had to play Steve, which was fine, but my daughter was so excited when they introduced Alex as a playable girl charac-ter.” According to the Con-sumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), out of the top sold video games of 2014, only about 20 percent had a female protagonist or even strong female lead. “There are points in some games where it is def-initely relatively sexist, but then again you could also

think it could go the other way,” senior Silas Brum-well said. “They are por-traying it to their audience, because most audiences of video games, especially video games with more sexist portrayals of women, are aimed towards young men who want that. So it’s a good marketing strategy.” Another component is when that 48 percent does choose to play, how many feel harassed or viewed dif-ferently simply because of their sex? “Before my daughter was born I played a game called Everquest; it was an MMORPG (Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game), and while I never

felt harassed, there were in-game chats and things where there were comments made,” Bleicher stated. “I think the assumption was, first of all that as a female gamer I wouldn’t be as strong as the male counter-parts. And you’d get hit on and things like that which was weird because I was married at the time. Hitting on like a gnome character is whole other kind of per-verse. But yeah, I think that sort of thing happens.” Of course progress isn’t nonexistent. Popular series such as Minecraft are offering more options for girls, and interchangeable male and female protago-nists are starting to appear

more often in the gaming world. Does that mean harassment is starting to appear less in the gaming world? “It kind of depends,” Brumwell said. “If there is a girl who is an actual gamer and doesn’t just say ‘I’m a girl gamer!’ just to get attention, then no, they don’t really get harassed. But I mean I’m sure there is some harassment because people are mean in general. A lot of the harassment that I’ve seen are towards people or girls who are fak-ing it, or just trying to do it for likes or views.” Senior Lizzi Deneen doesn’t see it as a big deal. “I mean, I’ve seen it,

and jokingly by my friends. But besides that nothing serious.” Senior Zach Tse had similar thoughts, “All of the people we hang out with don’t re-ally do that,” Both Deneen and Tse are avid players of Xbox games including Call of Duty. Even if that may be the case, progress is apparent in society. “It’s getting better,” Bleicher said. “I think that there’s more awareness on the product develop-ers especially as things like ‘Gamergate’ are in the news. But I think that there’s still a long way to go.”

Teaching the future

CorrinFancherFEATURE WRITER

From the first day of kindergarten, teachers play a huge role in shaping who students become as people. The high school, as part of the Career Technical Education program, gives students the opportunity to get some experience in the teaching field. Led by teacher Deborah Gibbs-Halm, the teacher ed program gives passionate kids the chance not only to learn the history of educa-tion and the components of a quality classroom, but

it gives them the opportu-nity to go out and actually student teach a classroom of students in Grand Blanc schools. “The goal of the pro-gram is to train interested students in the field of education,” program advi-sor Deborah Gibbs-Halm said. “I hope students find out if they are interested in working with children as a teacher, or in another field. I hope the hands-on field placement is important in giving students a realistic view of being a teacher.” Students take an in-depth look into the thought

processes of a child’s brain, assess the quali-ties of a good teacher, and even form their own lesson plans. A few days of the week students have the chance to take their knowledge to an actual class. As long as participants have a mode of transportation, there is an option to teach with any teacher at the elementary, middle, or high school level, whichever is best suited for the student. “Teacher ed prepares us in giving us the opportunity to make lesson plans and teach them to actual classes

with students at any grade level,” senior and second year teacher cadet Cameron Rush said. “It’s a lot of work, but it prepares me to become a better teacher.” The teacher educa-tion program gives a good insight into the responsibili-ties of what an actual teach-ing position might entail and is an ideal experience for anyone truly interested in becoming a teacher. Knowing that, senior Jenna Yager said, “It kind of gives you the chance to see if that’s what you really want to do as a job.”

Teacher ed prepares us in giving us the opportunity to make lesson

plans and teach them to actual classes with stu

dents at any grade level

“

“

-- Cameron Rush

B4·feature·bobcatbanner.com·@BobcatBanner

Dec. 5, AshuraDec. 5 is a day of mourning for most Shia Muslims. On this day in 650 A.D. at Karbala in mod-ern day Iraq, the martyrdom of

Hussein was lost. Every year the day is marked with men and women marching

the streets wearing all black as well as pas-sionate reenactments the martyrdom. Fasting

is also common among the people.

Dec. 16, Hanukkah

This eight day celebration is in remembrance of the rededication

of the second Jewish Temple of Jerusalem. This holiday depends

on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, normally

though this is occurs around the month of Decem-

ber. Each night a candle is lit

on the Menorah while the family sings a special

hymn. Each night a gift is given and

received.

Dec. 8, Bodhi DayBodhi Day is day of remembrance for Buddhists. On this day Buddha became enlightened under the bo-dhi tree. Many will spend the day

meditating and concentrating on their personal journey. Usually a tree is

set up with three jewels to represent Dharma, Sang, and Buddha. The

usual diet of this holiday will only be rice and milk, which was Buddha’s

meal upon replenishment.

Dec. 22, Winter SolsticeThis is the longest day of the year with the south receiving 24 hours of

sunlight and with the north receiving longer nights.Many cultures celebrate

the winter solstice and it is commonly referred to as the Yule. This is a time of

rebirth and new light.

Dec. 6, Feast of St. Nicholas

Many Catholics cel-ebrate the Feast of

Saint Nicholas. This is to reposition focus on Advent and the true

meaning of Christmas. To celebrate this many have a large feast then before bed children leave their shoes outside their doors

and on window sills. If they were well behaved the past year they will receive candy and other

sweets in their shoes for the next morning.

Dec. 12, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Celebrated primarily by Catho-lics of Mexican descent, this is a

feast in celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of the Republic of Mexico. Our Lady of Guadalupe is deeply woven in the lives of Mexican citizens; almost every city has a church devoted to this saint. This whole day is

celebrated with food and drink for every social class.

Dec. 25, ChristmasOne of the most common and celebrated holidays in

December is Christmas. The birth of Jesus from the Virgin Mary is

the basis of the holiday. However, it has evolved to much more; huge parades and tree lights, along with large gifts and blindingly bright houses strung with Christmas lights.

Dec. 26 - Jan. 1,

KwanzaaThough Kwanzaa is not a religious

holiday, it is still a week-long celebra-tion commonly cel-ebrated by Western Africans and African Americans. This was cre-ated by Dr. Ron Karenga to cre-ate and preserve traditional cer-

emonies and ethics of the culture. These include unity, faith , sense of purpose, self-determination,

collective work and responsibil-ity, cooperative economics, and creativity. Everything is decorat-ed with African Art as well as the

colors red, black, and green.

Dressing the tree with colorful ornaments, adorn-ing the house with shim-mering lights, stuffing yourself at your Christmas Eve dinner, hanging up socks, leaving out cookies and milk for Santa, opening up presents underneath the Christmas tree and enjoy-ing a good time with family and friends is the common routine of Christmas to most of us. However, in some parts of the world, people cel-ebrate differently. For an example, Ukrainian people decorate the tree with spider webs which insures blessing, luck and good fortune for the coming year. Other countries, such as the Philippines and Italy, have celebrations that last until January. In America, Christmas is often cele-brated by people regardless of their religion, race and cultural background. “I am Muslim but my family and I still like to cel-ebrate Christmas,” senior Selena Haidar said. “See-ing everyone in the Christ-mas spirit makes me feel just as passionate and that’s why me and my family enjoy celebrating it.” According to the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, there are 2.2 bil-lion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims, 1 billion Hindus, 376 million Bud-dhist, and 14 million Jews in

SabrinaJarrahFEATURE WRITER

the world today. Although Christmas is said to be only a Christian holiday, differ-ent religions like to partici-pate in it as well. “My parents participated in the holiday when they came to the United States and its become more of a tradition in our family than a holiday,” junior and practicing Hindu Selena Mirchandani said. Christmas has made a universal impact on so many people throughout the world who do not practice Christianity. Many contribute for the sole purpose of family get togeth-ers, experiences, gifts or just for the fun of it. “I am Chinese but me

and my family don’t prac-tice any religion,” senior Lena Yang said. “We like celebrating Christmas because it’s a way to get together with family and it gives that ‘life-is-wonder-ful’ feeling.” Although many religions enjoy participating in the celebration, some people don't contribute and stick to their own religious notion. “We celebrate Hanuk-kah,” freshman Anna Gottlieb said. “It’s a total of eight days and each night we light the Menorah with a candle of the num-ber of days.” “Some-times my parents get us

pres-ents

for the eight days but mostly my cousins and grandparents all enjoy celebrating it together, which is kind of like Christ-mas,” Gottlieb said. According to religious-tolerance.org, the month of December is a time of many religious cel-ebrations. Jews celebrate Hanukkah which is an eight-day celebration that reminds them of the re-dictation of the holy temple in Jerusalem and the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks. The Buddhist celebrate Bodhi day which is be-lieved that Buddha sat underneath a fig tree and achieved enlightenment. Some Africans also cel-ebrate Kwanzaa, which is a week long celebration that focuses on seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work, responsi-bility, cooperative econom-ics, purpose, creativity and faith. Although Muslim holidays are fixed and not always set on an official date, in December between the years of 2006-2008, it was Eid-Al-Adha which is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Even though not everyone celebrates Christmas, the holi-days are a time when many people put aside their differ-ences and come together. Every religion has a unifying factor which hopes for peace on earth and good will toward man-kind.

Different holidays this winter all have something in commonHolidays United

OliviaWyzgoski

FEATURE WRITER

Holidays C

elebrated

in December