shieldNovember 2009 4200 Andover Rd, Bloomfield Hills MI 48302 Volume XLVII Issue III

> B1

Coach Rick Reed prepares for the upcoming season > C3

As part of measures to combat falling state revenue, Governor Granholm signed into law a new budget which included measures to cut a further 52 million dollars from Michigan schools. This comes on top of statewide cuts of $292 per student earlier this year. “This is fairly historic. We haven’t seen

this level of loss in state funding for schools ever in Michigan,” says Tim Weeks, Assistant Superintendent for Business at BHS. “Every district has seen several rounds of cuts.” “What they did now,” says Weeks, “is cut the 20J funding from the highest funded districts, which amounted to $119 per student here in Bloomfield Hills. It erodes somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.3 million dollars from our revenues.” This amounts to about 3.5% of an 80 million dollar budget which constitutes “a tremendous revenue loss,” he says. He adds, however, “Through aggressive

fiscal policies we’ve pursued here over the past 12 months, we will be able to absorb most of this deficit.” “Think of it as a three legged stool: first we have school consolidation which saved us 2 million dollars alone this year. Second, we have the privatization study we conducted for our support staff which ended up bringing the cost of our current staff down to the cost of private companies. Third, we saved money through collective bargaining with the teachers.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Tim Weeks discusses impact at the high school level

State-proposed budget cuts in education

Gabe Menchacabusiness manager

October state-wide

school budget cuts

-three successive public education cuts were made

$165/student$127/student$119/student

TOTAL: $411

A pat on the back, words saying well done, and even certificates of achievement. However, the ultimate of congratulations for extra cirricular achievements for Andover students past and present can now be found on the walls throughout school. Walking through the halls she saw their pictures, where the nameless faces spoke to her. “Last spring, I was at Portage Northern High School for a conference and noticed that they had students’ pictures of their state champion forensics teams on the wall. Then, I saw the individual pictures of those kids winning first place. I took a picture with my cell phone and I thought to myself that we could do something like that.” Miss Christina Hammitt English teacher explains. “On the drive home, I started going over the idea with Mr.Durecka. Then back at Andover I showed Miss Harsh (the forensics’ coach) the pictures and then Amy Cardin and Jan Frank (forensics parents). Then, it just started to get a life of its own.” Principal Robert Durecka elaborates on why it is important to have the walls of fame. “So many good things happen within our student body. Walking through the halls did not share much about the kids. By adding these boards, it will draw more prospective students by showing them all of the wonderful accomplishments they can achieve.

On November 10-11, 200 students participated in the first ever

Challenge Day at Andover.

rising the challenge

to

Actress adjusts to high schoolFreshman Chloe Greenfield balances acting and academicsMelanie Greenspanlife page editor

Hallways of famePast students receive recog-nition of their achievementsSara Smolerlife page editor

Campbell’s soups have long had the slogan of “possibilities.” Now, Campbell’s could be un-canning new possibilities for the Bowers Farm. Barn manager and Bowers Academy teacher, Holly Glomski, is in charge of one of the ten barns in the running for a barn restoration. “Campbell’s Soup Company has designated an amount of money to support the future of agriculture in the United States,” Glomski says. “They have designated money to help fund green houses and help support various barn restoration projects. Bowers Farm is one out of ten barns in the running for a barn preservation (grant). The top five barns will get work done on their farms this spring.” The Help Grow Your Soup project was thought up and put into motion two years ago. “We really wanted to focus on reacquainting our

consumers with the quality of ingredients that goes into Campbell’s Soup,” says John Faulnker. “These are folks that grew up with campbells soup and have memories attached to it. We wanted to bring to life the ingredients in our soup. We started to advertise the ingredients more prominently in commercials and ads; then we reached out to an organization that helped grow our ingredients, the National FFA Alumni Association.”

Charles L. Bowers farm is in the running to be one of top five national farms to be refurbished

Campbell’s contest to save farm

Emma Reidsmalife page editor

After being Eminem’s sister and John Stamos’ daughter, Chloe Greenfield says she is just like everyone else. “I want people to know I am just a normal person,” says Birmingham child actor and now Andover

freshman. “I am not the kind of person who if you hung out with me I would talk about acting every five seconds. I would be the person who talks about [acting] the least. After a while it’s not that interesting.” With four feature films rounding out her resume, this 14-year-old’s road to Tinsletown started when she was 6 years old. “My aunt was listening to the radio and she heard about an open casting call in downtown Detroit. My mom actually didn’t want to go. We didn’t expect anything,” “The casting director of 8 Mile came out and asked my mom if I could do a screen test and my mom said, ‘that’s fine but she doesn’t have any experience.’ At that point I didn’t really know what was going on; I was only 6 so to me it wasn’t a big deal.” “(When) I got a phone call from Universal Pictures offering the role of Lily to Chloe. I said, ‘it sounds very interesting, but my child is not for sale,” explains her mother and manager Kim Greenfield. “I went from just being a regular mom to being put into a situation when I’m dealing with the acting

Johnston makes music in the class-room

> A6see HALLS

> A6see ACTING

> A4see ACTING

world with no knowledge about it except wanting to protect my child.”

Chloe Greenfield

> A6see FARM

Michigan Merit Exam mandatory for graduation High school juniors will be required to take the Michigan Merit Exam to graduate from Bloomfield Hills Schools effective with the Class of 2011, according to new policy adopted by the Board of Education. The change was prompted by the state of Michigan’s Annual Yearly Progress

grading system, which blocks schools from an “A” grade despite academic success if a minimum number of students do not take the test. Thus, the new policy will ensure that at least 95% of students are tested in the junior year. “We want to ensure that our schools are fairly assessed,” said Dr. Steve Gaynor, superintendent. “A school should not receive a poor result simply because some

students choose not to take the MME.” For two consecutive years, Lahser High School has received a “B” grade because it was unable to test the required number of students in the original testing window or the makeup window. In Oakland County, 19 of the 28 school districts require participation on the MME as a graduation requirement.

> A6

Betsy Erikson-replaced the MEAP in 2007

-given in the spring to all Michigan high school juniors

> A4see CUTS

Challenge Day leader Jake gives instructions before volleyball game.

Plauqes are located throughout hallways.

Turkeys of Bowers farm mingle with the chickens.

-Recognizing bias in the news A3

-Meditiation at Model B2

-Junior Natasha Amin struggles with epilepsy B2

-Colbie Caillat’s new CD B3

-The cost of var-sity sports C4

KYLE KAVANAGH/Shield

newsA2

When the time does not call for cell phones

In some situations, phones should be left at home

Our turn

Sometimes, you just have to say TTYL.

Editors-in-Chief:Jake Gordon

Bridget Sanders

Managing Editor:Jessica Ranke

Senior Advisors:Saloni Godbole

Lauren HendricksonAndrew Weiner

Junior Advisor:Rachel Rohr

Web Editors:Lauren Hendrickson

Kyle Kavanagh

Graphics:Kyle Kavanagh

Copy Editor:Alex Chudler

Photographers:Madeline McIlhon

David Yu

Business Manager:Gabe Menchaca

Distribution Manager:Chelsea Jolly

News Page Editors:Talia Goldman

Pamela PenslerAlana Tabak

Sports Page Editors:Emily LangnasLauren LewisMatt Luckoff

Life Page Editors:Melanie Greenspan

Marley KaltEmma Reidsma

Sara Smoler

Staff Illustrator:Josh Loney

Staff Writers: Jarred Bratley Sam Gordon Ashley DuBois Nicole Kiester Emma Enache Kaya Koscielny James Feuereisen Summer Krinsky Audrey Fotouhi Andrew Pan Joudeh Freij Derek Wolfe Michael Georgizas Anna Zambelli Elizabeth Glenn

Advisor:Christina Hammitt

The Federal Highway Safety Administration has is-sued various statements regarding the danger of talking or texting on cell phones while driving, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forbids cell phone usage on airplanes. There should be a Federal Ettiquete Ad-ministration to make cell phone use in other situations illegal. This first and least offensive of these situations is texting during a movie. Even if the movie it-self is pretty boring, nothing can make the entire experience more annoying than a neighbor with a brightly lit cell phone that occasionally beeps and makes other noises. The light itself disturbs everyone’s eyes, but not as much as the nagging curios-ity to find out what the stranger next to you is saying. It is worse when you are texting while you’re with your friends. When you are with friends, enjoy each others’ company. You don’t need to take out your cell phone and talk to another person—a secret, hidden conversation. If you want to talk to that other person, call or text them, but wait until after you’ve left your friend. And as an add-ed note, texting during heart-to-heart conversations with friends should be illegalized. While your friend might internalize his or her feelings towards your texting addiction, your parents will not hesitate to chastise you while you text away at the din-

ner table. In fact, they will probably scream at you, then take your cell phone away. Beware; the consequences can be dire. Family dinners should be times for you to talk with your family, not friends.

Research shows that eating together increases the communication and well-being of the entire family. Ac-cording to a study from Harvard University, family dinners are the most important family events that help children develop language skills.

While all of these are pretty minor cell phone offenses, the next one is possibly the largest breach of cell phone etiquette ever: using the phone on a date. While you may think it’s nec-essary to give your friends the play-by-play in-stantly, it’s ridiculous to neglect your date sitting across from you. Just turn the thing off and pay attention to the person you’re with. It’s simply rude to divide your attention between them and the person you are quietly chatting with. Cell phones are everywhere in people’s lives, but don’t let them take over your life. Some-times, you have to just say TTYL.

Check out The Andover Shield at

www.andovershield.com

staff

When you are in a conversation with another person. Face to face should be more important.

-Elliot MacNeille, senior

I don’t like when kids share a text they sent or recieved with other people they are with but not the whole group.

-Hannah Klayman, freshman

Your turn:When is it inappropriate to use cell phones?

JOSH LONEY/shield

Editorial Policy The Andover Shield is a student publication distributed free of charge to all Andover students with a total press run of 1,500. We strive to inform, entertain, and serve as a limited but open forum for students, parents, administrators, and members of the community, while continuing a tradition of journalistic excellence. Have an opinion? Letters to the Editor can be dropped off in Miss Hammitt’s room, 306, and may be edited for content and/or space.

It’s rude when people keep cell phones on dur-ing performances after they were told to turn them off.

-Dennis Kwasny,faculty

news A3

Should teenagers be allowed to stay out late?

In Tim WeeksI trust

Tim Weeks improves Bloomfield Hills School District’s finances

In Tim Weeks I trust. Okay, for the most part I trust people who have college degrees from Yale. Not only did Mr. Tim Weeks, the assistant superintendent in charge of finance, earn his Masters of Business Administration from this Ivy League university but he did it without spending a dime of his own money. These reasons alone are enough to trust him but the biggest reason of all is that this guy knows what he’s doing. Hailed by many (at least all the people I talked to), he is the sole financial savior of Bloomfield Hills District. Because of his expert maneuvering of our budget through the thorny field of the economy, our district could continue to operate as is until about 2013 on what has already been saved. However, we cannot continue to wait for some massive change that will allow for our district to bounce back into the black. While I have the same pride in being a Baron that I am sure many alum and current students have, it is time to face reality. Although the automobile companies began flailing years ago, the effects are only beginning to be felt by our bubbled city of Bloomfield. In the middle of October, Governor Jennifer Granholm approved a budget cut of more than $400 per pupil. However, according to Weeks , this could be only the beginning. He predicts that these cuts could reach as high as $550 per student by the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Reaching into his metaphorical toolbox of plans, Weeks believes that he has found one of the final pieces to counter the budget cuts. Weeks predicts that by consolidating to one high school our district would save more than three million dollars per year. However, inconsistent with many beliefs, the biggest savings would not be from the cutting of instructional staff. Only one job would be lost (a media specialist). Instead, savings would be from paying one utility bill instead of two. This means Bloomfield Hills students would still receive the same quality of education while saving dollars that will go toward improving the high school experience as a whole. While speaking to Weeks, it was clear that he is as hesitant to consolidate schools as anybody else. However, he also realizes that the Bloomfield Hills we live in now is not the same Bloomfield Hills as in the ‘90’s. And he doesn’t see it changing back to the way it once was. Ever. Weeks, however, is not pessimist by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, he is a realist. While listening to him explain the different options of how the school district could maintain its goal of providing the best educational experience possible to all of its students, it became quite evident that consolidating schools is the most efficient way. The three million dollars that we could save is approximately the cost of running the entire transportation system for an entire year. Or, approximately the cost of the district’s entire extracurricular budget. Or, more than three million double stacks from Wendys. It is time to stop waiting around for the recession to end and for the economy to bounce back. It’s time to stop waiting for a time when we can economically maintain our ridiculously small high schools that are operating on an incredibly inflated budget (allowed only because of the ingenious Weeks) It’s time to swallow our pride as Andover Barons and Lahser Knights and regain our old pride as a Bloomfield Hills district. It’s time to listen to the man who could talk circles around anyone in our district when it comes to economics. It’s time to listen to Tim Weeks.

Jake Gordonco-editor in chief

Every student in driver’s ed learns that driving is a privilege not a right. Contrarily, teens often learn that staying out late at night is a right. If staying out late is a privilege, curfews should exist for teens. There are few teens who will say that they enjoy curfews. However, it is imperative to understand that curfews exist for the well being of young adults. Curfews prevent teenagers from driving late at night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 100,000 crashes are result of drivers falling asleep behind the wheel every year. When curfews are implemented, the problem of fatigue behind the wheel is diminished. A study from the National Safety Council showed that from 1996 to 2007 the number of teens involved in deadly crashes after midnight has gone down as much as 50 percent. The same study explains that during that time period, state law curfews became more strict. With curfews, teen are also exposed to the importance of responsibility. In its guidelines for p a r e n t i n g , the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that enforcing curfews on teens is extremely important for teaching kids responsibility. A report from MSNBC on the psychology of teenagers stated that teenagers are prone to volatile emotions, often focus on short term gains, and are very impulsive, all of which make responsibility an important lesson to teach during these years. The importance of obeying one’s superiors is also learned through curfews. A recent USA Today article discusses how current generation teens entering the workforce are less likely to respond to the demands of their employees, which upsets the employers immensely. However, with curfews, teens learn that it is necessary to obey superiors in the real world, at an early age. Another benefit of curfews is that teenagers are home more often. This allows them to be closer to their families, which is a family value that is lacking in our society. Studies from Columbia University have proven that students who perform actions as simple as eating with their family are more likely to stay off drugs and do well in school. Building off this idea, students who spend more time at home will be able to focus more on their school work. Teens need to come to the conclusion that they will survive with curfews. Not staying out until two in the morning won’t ruin their social lives. No matter what, curfews are the best option for teenagers in the long run.

I’m a good kid. I don’t misbehave, I don’t have a drug or alcohol addiction, I maintain a good grade point average and I take all of my responsibilities seriously. Did I mention I don’t have a curfew? I have never had a curfew because my parents trust I can make good decisions on my own. If I ever think that I might be out late, I call home and let my parents know where I am so they don’t worry. I’m learning responsibility this way. Teens like me are examples that show that teenagers do not need curfews. According to studies from the Cleveland Clinic, those who are over-protected as teens will have a lack of confidence which can cause psychological problems for them as adults. Teenagers need space to learn and parents need to trust that their teens are able to make good decisions. Over-protecting them can only lead to problems down the line. There is no better time to make mistakes and learn from them than during adolescence. After all, learning and growing from mistakes is the definition of growing up according to Kidshealth.com. My parents know being too overbearing can make teens rebel now or in the future. According to Parentteen.org, suffocating teens mediates anxiety, which can lead to the development of the same behavioral problems that parents are trying to avoid by setting curfews. Take for instance, in Napa, Florida on October 6, 2004, 18-year-old Carlos A. Veita-Perez was killed in a car accident at 11 p.m. while racing home to meet his curfew. Without this curfew, Perez could still be alive today. What if this was an Andover student? Setting a curfew does not help a teenager to mature. It does the opposite. It shelters teenagers from the real word. I learned this from personal experience. Since I have never had a curfew I’ve gained a sense of maturity. I know when it is an acceptable time to come home and I do it by myself without my parents telling me. Also, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 66 percent of teenagers attend college after graduating high school. Parents cannot enforce curfews in college. If a teen is not used to staying out late, making their own decisions and having the responsibility of taking care of themselves, college could be very dangerous for them. Letting teens come home when they please and make their own decisions teaches responsibility. It also gives them that much needed room to make mistakes and learn from them. Teenagers do not need to be sheltered. They need to be out there, living their own lives and learning responsibility. It worked for me and it can work for many others too. I believe that f r eshman and seniors should have a different set of rules and responsibilities but if parents and t h e i r teens talked about curfews together and came up with an understanding of what is acceptable then many other teens can be good kids without curfews, just like me.

Pro ConAlana Tabaknews page editor

James Feuereisenstaff writer

Murray bids for board spot

Recognizing bias in the news

Hey Barons & Bloomfield Hills Residents! Wow. Has it only been five months? Less than half a year ago I was still an Andover student, walking those spacious hallways— completely immersed in high school life. Little did I know that there were much larger things than those hallways like, um, a college campus? And I’m proud to say that’s where I am now: studying locally as a full time student at Oakland University. What I’m even more proud to say is

that because I am still in the district, I am now an of ficial candidate for Bloomfield Hills School Board in 2010. My entrance into this race warrants a new age in local politics. An age where school board members can understand not only what district taxpayers want, but what students want as well. I am the youngest candidate to ever pursue this of fice and I feel like I can bring a lot to the table, but I need your help.

As I attempt to write a news-analysis column, I start to wonder: Do I actually know the news? I consider myself an informed person; at least in respect to the news (AP Biology is a different story). But, if I stop and think about it, all my sources are mildly to ridiculously liberal. Objective journalism is harder to find lately, news bias is rampant. When I’m watching Rachel Maddow, Keith Olberman, or reading the New Yorker, I know I’m getting visions of American politics through the left eye only. The thing that really bothers me, however, is that I don’t care. I’m just used to it.

News bias is not a new problem, but in the Internet Age it has reached a new level. Any random opinion a person has can be Googled, and there’s bound to be some person who agrees and started a blog about it. For a person at every level of socialism, conservatism, liberalism, and Bob-Sagetism there is some news source somewhere that they can agree with. Because these blogs have no journalistic restraints, they can publish fake research, write conspiracy theories as fact, and link to other web sites with similar viewpoints. But its not just fallen-through-the-cracks blogs that are horribly biased. MSNBC is to the liberal’s liking and Fox News is conservative crack. I know this, yet I try to finish my homework before 9 every night so I can catch my favorite liberal lady, Ms. Maddow, for a gluttonous helping of Republican smashing. On the rare night I watch Olberman, Maddow, and Bill

Andrew Weinersenior life advisor

I need your help to make my campaign all that it can be. That is, a campaign suppor ted by all the people I will ser ve in this district— from taxpayers to teachers and from homebuyers to students. I know I can count on you because being a former Andover student, I know that when asked Andover students deliver and always in an exemplar y way.

Always,Daniel J.K. Murray

Maher (three very liberal programs) in succession, it’s hard to see through my liberal rage. We pick the news that we agree with and use it to validate and intensify our preexisting opinions. It is too much effort to listen to objective news and come up with our own opinions? Instead, we take the easy way out and watch news that report the news and opinions on it. Luckily, there is not much to worry about. Most college-age Americans only news source is what is parodied on Saturday Night Live, the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. The older generation groans that John Stewart and Steven Colbert are not valid news sources, they are only entertainment. I can recognize all of this, but it isn’t going to change. I’m still going to read Rolling Stone, threaten to quit the gym if they don’t turn off Fox, and love every minute of it.

Quick Facts

-Murray graduated in 2009

- Murray is the youngest person ever to run for school board

-for more info visit www.dan-ieljkmurray.com

Quick Facts

-Biases can be found all over the media

-Many do not know when they are read-ing or listening to something biased

- The internet has contributed to biases

Because of his expert maneuvering of our budget through the thorny field of the economy, our district could continue to operate as is until about 2013 on what has already been saved.

The importance of obeying one’s superiors is learned through curfews.

newsA4

Since 2002 Chloe she has done a few small films such as Project 313 and 21 Carbs. From 2006-2009 she played Sarah Riley, a trouble maker , on 24 episodes of ER. While the ex-pereince was exciting, Chloe explains it was a bit hard on her family as they were driving back and forth from Michigan to California. “Six times we drove across the US,” she says. “One time in the Rocky Mountains we blew a tire. Then, the show ended. I had mixed feelings because I was to be a part of a great show and upset because the run would be short.” After deciding to move out West, the family was faced with another challenge. “We were living in Simi Valley, my agent thought it was better I was out there. Then the writers’ stike hit and there weren’t any jobs,” she says as the reason why her family moved back to Michigan. “My parents always planned for me to goto a regular high school and I’m happy about that because I was missing some things. Its kind of tough because people tend to make assumptions about people they hear about before actually meeting them. On one hand its nice being with everyone else having normal experiences but on the same hand I love acting so its hard to put it aside and try to balance a regular life on top of it. Act-ing makes you feel stuck in that inbetween feeling where you are detatched from both a normal life and your acting life. You have to

that role things would be a lot different. Looking back I’m not angry. Once you are labeled a certain way it is hard if not impoassible to change that im-age. I prefer the more serious roles like that of Lily. [Although] at the premiere of 8 Mile, my mom would just say, ‘plug your ears and close your eyes’ when the bad parts came on. It was kind of graphic for a little kid but for the most part I was sheltered from it. Now, I embrace it [because] those are the roles people remember.” The one thing that Chloe and her mother both agree that is surprising is the financial side of the business. “Chloe has been very successful in this busi-ness but a lot of people have this allusion that there is this automatic millionaire status,” her mother says. “[But,] there is a a law that there is a per-centage of the child’s earning has to be put into a trust fund and they can touch it when they become eighteen. When she goes to college, she will have that money to go to any college or university. We have tried to maintain as normal of a life for her as we can. Our philosophy has been that there is no money that can buy back a childhood.” Chloe has all the tools to go as far as she wants in this business. But, in the long run fame, fortune, and notoriety doesn’t guarantee happiness,” Looking toward her future Chloe says, “I want to travel. I plan on continuing with [acting] but it’s not something I would plan my whole future on. I haven’t really planned on being the next big thing. I am just doing all of this because I love it.”

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prioriotize and put things on hold and sacrifice things like dances. People assume its all glitz and fun and amazement, but its a job for a rea-son. I never had a stable friend group and now I do. For the most part people are pretty accept-ing, especially here [at Andover ]. “ Her mother adds that Chloe’s current career “isn’t something we planned for as parents,” she says. “I think the most important thing is Chloe has learned to find a healthy balance between her personal and professional life.” While settling in this 5’4” Bloomfield Baron made it on the cheerleading team. “I was always known as the jock playing soccer. It’s the family sport. I wanted to try something new.” Varsity cheerleading head coach Erin Cer-vi says, “When she came in and we said ‘you made the cheer team, are you going to have any conflicts in the near future?’ she said I’m doing a movie over in Europe and that will probably be in the spring time so it wouldn’t affect. So I mean she is just very down to earth. I think she will balance [cheer leading and acting] well.” Because Greenfield’s latest film, director Miguel Cruz Carretero’s Deauville, is in pre-production she she’ll fly to Europe when her part is being filmed. “I’ll be back in two weeks. It shouldn’t interfere with school or other ac-tivities.” Not only only is she happy about the timing of the film but also the story’s setting. “Deauville is set in my favorite time frame in history. So it will be fun, “ she says. “[The hardest part] is just being normal

and still preparing for Deauville and going to Europe for the first time. I have to look nine so I’m not to sure about that, but it’ll all work out,” Chloe says of the film which stars Lara Flynn Boyle (Law and Order, Men in Black II) and Isabella Rossellini (30 Rock, The Acciden-tal Tourist). When looking at the list of famous actors such as these Chloe says “At first I get star struck. You see these people forever and I feel like anyone else would. Then when you’re with them for a while they are like your uncle.” Besides traveling from the midewest to the west coast and back again, adjusting to high school while another daughter is is at Wayne State University, the Greenfields have had some other tough decisions especially when deciding which path to take. “Chloe’s agent is the same agent Miley Cyrus has. There were tracks that people would have liked [us to follow]. Chloe would have gotten on more of a celebrity pop star-ish track rather than true acting. We understand there is some value to Disney, but it was just not a choice for our family.” “We weren’t shooting for the fame thing,” Chloe adds. “ Disney would have been more fun and I would have met some more big stars but we were shooting for acting that has more consistency.” This attitude has served Chloe well as roles like that of the 2003 Cheaper by the Dozen part fell through at the last minute. “Had I gotten

from A1

ACTING: freshman balances career and academics

from A1

CUTS: Over $400/ studentIt’s really a win-win, because the staff still has employment, but the district is saving money.” Rob Durecka, principal at Andover High School, explains that “what’s important to us is [the students’] education; we don’t want to have a negative impact on that, because that’s why you’re here and it’s why we’re here.” “At this point in time, we’re not looking to cut any support for sports or the musical or other extracurriculars,” he goes on to say. Although that’s not to say that there won’t be changes. “A big part of our plan in the future is really dependent on what happens in Michigan. However, we’re obviously looking at ways to save more money, like consolidating the high schools. But, right now we can’t be sure where we’ll be in a year,” says Weeks, “we really have to wait and see.”

news A5

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From our globally-acclaimed International Baccalaureate programmes to our technology integration to our Advanced Placement and honors courses, Bloomfield Hills Schools offers students comprehensive education at its finest. Visit www.Bloomfield.org to learn more about what makes BHS outstanding.

Do other schools measure up? Use this checklist to find out.

For more information contact an enrollment specialist:

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inTernATionAl BAccAlAureATe schools Pre-K 3Elementary schools 2Middle schools 3High schools 2Access to International Academy

lATchkey services Elementary school Middle school

exTended dAy kindergArTen roBusT AThleTics

Middle school programs 32High school programs 44

exTensive fine, performing ArTs & TheATre sTudenT cluBs

Middle school 38High school 49

7-clAss semesTer schedules in high school Block schedules in True middle school

frAmework

universiTy AffiliATionsCollege for Creative Studies, Harvard University, Lawrence Tech University, Oakland University

high school sTudenT/counselor rATio 259 : 1

Bowers AcAdemy AlTernATive high school

grAduATion rATe90%

sTudenT driven leArning progrAm Model High School

exTensive school supporT sTAffReading recovery teachers, resource teachers, speech teachers, ELL teachers, social workers, psychologists

news A7

FORENSICS?Attention old and new Forensicators!

Auditions are almost here:

Monday, December 7thTuesday, December 8th

After School in Ms. Harsh’s Room 222

Upcoming Events:(All dates are tentative and subject to change)

Forensics Team Try-outs - December 7 - 8Parent Meeting - December 14

Workshop - January 23Lock-in - January 30

Forensics Night Showcase - February 9Birch Run Invitational - February 13

Lock-in - February 27Dexter Delight Invitational - March 6

“Grover” Invitational (Groves/Andover Hosts) at Groves - March 13Walled Lake Western - March 20

Judges/Prospective Judges:

Initial Training Workshop - Jan. 23 at Henry Ford High SchoolRenewal Workshop - March 20 at Walled Lake Western HS

Questions?See Ms. Harsh in Room 222 or

Ms. Hammitt in Room 306 for more information.

newsA8

Built in the 1920’s and bought in 1966 by the Bloomfield Hills School District, the Charles L. Bowers School Farm has been a place of agricultural education.

Texting while drivingTexting while driving is becom-ing the newest driving danger in the 21st centuryDerek Wolfestaff writer

The National FFA identified ten barns that needed to be refurbished. “This year we opened this process up to barns across America,” says Faulkner. “The National FFA had a nomination process through their alumni organization. Since the alumni are the ones who own the barns, it made sense to work through and with the alumni association.” Out of thousands of barns across the country, Bowers Farm made the cut. Besides providing a sense of “country” to Bloomfield Hills, the Bowers Farm grows local produce, supports Bowers 4H club, and holds the annual October corn maze. “At Bowers farm, that money will pay for some exterior boards to be replaced on the barn, and it will also pay for two coats of red paint and one coat of white trim paint,” says Glomski. “It’s a really big help.”

Glomski started the process for entering the barn in Help Grow Your Soup this summer. “I had to submit a grant proposal first, then Campbell Soup Company selected ten barns to represent the nation’s allotment of barns. From that point forward, they decided to leave the decision and voting in the hands of the general public,” says Glomski. Glomski and others associated with Bowers Farm are putting their full effort into assuring that Bowers Farms is one of the top five barns. “Now we are doing daily voting on the Help Grow Your Soup website to choose the barn that we want to see funded,” says Glomski. “We have a lot of great clubs and groups that work with the farm and we are using word of mouth and email to let the community know that we need their votes. You can vote every day till January 5.” Eric Jaros, Bowers 4H club president, has worked promote voting. “During the corn maze, I and other ‘4Hers’ would hand out little slips of paper with the voting website to every person at

Typing LOL while driving could lead to an emergency SOS. In fact, according to the New York Times, texting while driving increases the risk of crashing by 23 times, becoming the new-est driving danger. According to Sgt. Craig Shackleford of Bloomfield Township, the reason this is so dangerous is the fact that most drivers feel they actually can multi-task while control-ling an automobile. “Multi-tasking is a myth,” Shackleford says. “If your car is moving, and you’re texting, you’re not driving. It’s not pos-sible. You’re doing a bunch of things at one time in rapid succession. When your car is going down Telegraph at 50 mph, you’re traveling at 75 feet per second, and for every second that you’re texting, your car is moving without your full knowledge and attention.” According to CBS News 46 percent of teens admit to texting while behind the wheel. “I text at the wheel because I want to com-municate with others,” senior Alan Mcgee explains. “Sometimes, I can not wait the 15 minutes it takes to get home to respond. In a world like this, instant communication is necessary and expected.” In August, a British Police force created

H1N1 Scare: Taken to the extreme?Langnas shares views on athletes advised to avoid handshakes

Emily Langnasnews page editor

The swine flu is infecting sports-manship as we know it. Absurd as it may sound, more and more athletes are being trained to fear the handshake. As a result of the H1N1 virus, teams are now resorting to alternative methods of the ever-so-common handshake and high-five. Along with minor league hockey teams, who now shake with their gloves on, the Ohio State football team, Sweedish Soccer Associa-tion, and Canadian Olympic Com-mittee are all urging athletes to practice new greeting gestures such as the fist pound and the el-bow bump. As fear of the virus spreads, these pre-cautions are a simple, yet clever--but not necessarily effective--way for athletes to reamain healthy in order to compete. The World Health Organization has even

been an advocate of these seemingly silly gestures ever since the avian flu pandemic in 2006. High-fives are things of the past. And just as I was finally learning how to give one... Now, I’m not saying that I am going to start “elbow bumping” my friends, nor do I expect two captains to elbow bump in-stead of shaking hands before a big foot-ball game, but I do believe this idea is quite clever in theory. I mean, elbows must be one of the clean-

est body parts. If you don’t agree with me on that just try sneezing, licking, or wiping your nose with the tip of your elbow. Yes, it is smart for athletes to be proac-tive to stop the spread of germs, but come on, is this really going to work? Athletes still come in contact with one anoth-er, touch the same sur-faces, and even huddle together, which all de-

feat the purpose of elimi-nating high fives and handshakes. Even with the escalating amount of al-ternatives, the truth is that nothing is ever going to replace the traditional handshake. Instead of an elbow bump to prevent the spread of germs, all we really need is soap and water.

an extremely graphic video visually. depict-ing the hazards of texting while driving in order to hit home the message. The video shows a group of friends in a car and when the driver texts their car crashes into an-other, and a slew of other cars begin to be part of the accident. This PSA has not been shown in the Unites States; however, despite the lack of Americans seeing the video, Shackleford says many states have taken action against texting while driving“The toughest state in the U.S. is Utah,” says Shackleford. “A first offense is a $70 fine. A repeat offense can result in a sus-pended license or even jail time.” Currently, Michigan does not have a ban against texting while driving, but there’s a bill that would ban it that is now in the Michigan House of Representatives. Called house bill 4394, it would impose a civil infraction against the violating driver. The bill states that, “a person shall not read, write, or send a text message on a wireless two-way communication device that is located in the person’s hand or in the person’s lap, including a wireless tele-phone used in cellular telephone service or personal communication service, while op-erating a motor vehicle that is moving on a highway or street in this state. It would seem impossible to tell if texting was responsible for an accident, but Shack-leford says, “If you get into a bad accident, (the police) will pull all of your phone re-cords. Everything has a date and time stamp on it.” Texting while driving is extremely dan-gerous, and can ultimately be fatal. So the next time you type TTYL in the car, there might not be a later.

TWD Facts-46 percent of teens admit to texting while be-hind the wheel.

-Currently Michigan does not have a ban against texting while driving

-Bill 4394 is now in the Michigan House of Repre-sentatives

-Texting while driving increas-es the risk of crashing by 23 times

-Texting while driving has become the newest driving danger

the corn maze. I have continued to hand out these slips of paper to my friends, family, and any person who will take one,” says Jaros. Supporting Bowers’ Farm is only a few clicks away. “All they need to do is go to the Help Grow Your Soup website, click on Bowers Farm, and just vote. They can vote once a day on one computer. I’ve got five computers within my reach everyday and so I’m constantly voting,” says Glomski. Along with Bowers Farm and other barns across the nation, Help Grow Your Soup is also assisting the National Future Farmers of America Association. “The National FFA Alumni Association is sponsoring this project as well. As part of this program, Campbell has designated $50,000 that they will donate to the National FFA Alumni Association, says Glomski. “The FFA is an association that supports the leaders of tomorrow in an agricultural format. So by supporting the National FFA Alumni Association they are supporting the future of agriculture in the United States.” So many, many reasons it’s so... M’m M’m good, possibilities.

Campbell’s contest to save farm

The only two Llamas on the farm, Cinnamon and Sally, graze outside during meal time.

Latte, one of three milking goats, wanders outside after eating a meal. Goat meals at the farm typically consist of grain and corn.

Dozens of the Bowers Farm ducks splash around outside after a short shower.

Nothing is ever going to replace the tradi-tional hand-shake.

“This was a great investment for our school,” he says. Hammitt says the first two walls to go up were the forensics hall of fame and publications wall. Harsh shares the qualifications for the leaders showcased on the forensics wall of fame. “The qualifications for the students to be on the wall is that they must have placed first in the state competition.” While Amy Cardin was a contributor to the forensics wall, Senior Saloni Godbole who is on the newspaper wall for her editorial page design in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, started on

the wall highlighting those students in yearbook and newspaper. “I sent letters to Andover graduates and got thier pictures and information. Then, I was able to get my community service hours completed through my efforts on this project,” Godbole says. “It will be interesting for new kids tos ee recognized members of the [Newspaper and Yearbook] staffs. The goal is to keep adding to it with more awards won by students each year.” Hammitt adds, “The walls easily allow you to put a name to a facem and it allows students to see their friends’ accomplishments. Trophies are nice but

they really do not express the person behind them. Schools are about kids, they are the reason we teach, and whom we focus on.” Senior and Varsity Forensics Captian Dana Fenster is one of the many faces that will be seen on the Forensics Hall of Fame. “It was a very surreal feeling to win states. I am glad that they have installed the Hall of Fame for Forensics to showcase our achievements.” After seeing the three walls others were inspired. Varsity Volleyball coach, Robert Hurtle adds, “For Volleyball Hall of Fame we are going to go back from the year

1977, and include anybody that has been an outstanding captian, great helpers, or all state players. It will really showcase all of Volleyball’s accomplishments through the years with the contributers that made our teams a success.” Another group inspired by the two original walls was Student Leadership, who as the sponsor Krista Laliberte explains will be comprised of two boards. “We will have two boards on our Wall of Fame. One is going to be a wall with plaques and pictures of the past senior year presidents from the year 2000 to present. The second will be for the senior class officers.”

from A1

HALLS: Showcasing past students’ accomplishments

from A1

FARM: Campbell’s

Halls of Fame

-The walls of fame credit the clubs and activi-ties of Andover

- English teacher Christina Ham-mitt came up with the idea

ed. They were delicious. Soon after finishing the edamame, my waiter set down a large white platter of su-shi. Each order was covered in eel sauce, a sweet brown sauce, which is normally an extra charge at other restaurants. Hands down, this was some of the best sushi I have ever had. All of the fish and oth-er ingredients tasted extremely fresh. The rolls were much bigger than I am used to, so I was full when the meal was over. My favorite roll was the California crunch roll (crab and avocado inside, tempura crunch and eel sauce outside). The tempura crunch on the outside was perfectly crisp but not too greasy. The perfect blend of crab and avocado also added to the roll’s great taste. The service was just as incredible as the sushi. My waiter, Kevin, was very helpful in determining which rolls to order and was al-ways there to fill my glass as soon as it was getting low. Overall, with a great atmosphere, delicious food and prompt service, I’d roll on over to Birmingham Sushi any time.

I consider myself a sushi connoisseur. I have sampled a plethora of different sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, To-ronto, and even São Paulo, Brazil. Even with great restaurants all over the world, one of the best I have tried is at Birmingham Sushi Cafe. On October 1, Birmingham Sushi Cafe opened its doors for the first time in down-town Birmingham on Hamilton Row. After passing by the front of the restaurant before its opening, I was excited to try it. When I first walked in, I was taken back by the restaurant’s decor. I was not expecting it to be so chic. The little cafe had a rustic ambiance with modern hanging lamps illu-minating the tables. There were dark ma-hogany wood columns separating the booths and modern art pieces on the walls.

Meditation makes Model curriculum > B2

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Birmingham Sushi Cafe delights dinersAlana Tabaknews page editor

New Birmingham restaurant rolls out sushi

lifeB

Human spirit

overcomesA Hurricane Katrina victim remains optimistic

Andrew Weinersenior life advisor

Katrina forced her out of her house. Her elderly mother and granddaughter relocated to Tennessee, unable to return without a house to go back to. The contractor she hired stole $80,000. Undeterred, she pulled together what was left of her savings and invested her hopes in another contractor. This time, not only did the contractor take $40,000, he significantly sunk the home’s foundation and stole several large appliances. She spent nearly $120,000 and ended up with her house in worse condition than when she began and no place to live. This is where I met Patrcia Armant, or as she asked us to call her, Ms. Pat. As part of the two weeks I spent in New Orleans this summer I worked construction on her house.

The home was finally n e a r i n g complet ion when I a r r i v e d , thanks to v o l u n t e e r s a n d professionals Ms. Pat had once again put her faith in. My group had the pleasure and privilege

of surprising her with the news that her home would be ready in less than a month. Jaded from her previous experiences, she hadn’t seen the house in over a year and didn’t want any updates. We had heard so much about her, finally meeting her in person was incredible. At our meeting with Ms. Pat, I was inspired by how vivacious and happy she was, you never would have guessed the hardship she had been through. She called us all “my babies” and even sang us a thank-you song. Seeing someone with such a positive outlook on life after having such horrible luck for several years is incredible and humbling. She happily told her story, getting emotional occasionally, but with a smile a majority of the time. Watching Ms. Pat break down and cry tears of joy at the news that she could give her landlord notice that she would be returning home is indisputably one of my most unforgettable memories. After she had put her trust in so many people, her optimism and faith paid off. In addition to the joy, I have the understanding that this is only a tiny piece of the problem, one house of 890,000 destroyed, and that more work needs to be done. But Ms. Pat’s house stands.

After 33 seconds, he defeated the infamous six-faced beast. “It started last year because I had a twelve-hour bus trip to a hockey tournament in Calumet [in the Upper Peninsula] and needed something to do,” sophomore Michael Calvas says. “[The Rubik’s Cube] came with a little booklet that helped, and I ended up going to YouTube because there were faster ways

Calvas conquers cubeSophomore expertly solves Rubik’s cube

Andrew Panstaff writer

Johnston inspires her students through guitar

Motivation through musicQuick Facts

-Johnston teaches Government and Economics

-She plays an Ibanez Acoustic Electric guitar

-Johnston began playing guitar seven months ago

-Playing guitar has been her lifelong dream

Seeing someone with such a positive outlook on life after having such horrible luck for several years is incredible and humbling.

is fingers slowly pluck across the strings, struggling to match the tune for the

Beatles song “Blackbird”. His class sits engrossed in their seats, listening to every note junior Andrew Dershem strums out of the borrowed guitar. His teacher stands next to him, guiding him through the music, encouraging him at every mistake throughout the performance. “She kept trying to reassure me I was doing well even though I knew she was better than I was,” Dershem says of

the experience. “I mean it was just cool because the reinforcement she was giving [to me while i played the guitar]—it’s kind of like what she’s doing in the classroom—it’s like she knows you can do better so she’s just going to keep pushing you and pushing you to do better.” Government teacher Vivian Johnston, who began playing the guitar about seven months ago, has recently brought her guitar into the classroom to motivate her students. She hopes that after seeing her struggle to learn new material, her students will begin to feel more comfortable participating during class and will make more of an effort to turn in their assignments. “[By bringing in my guitar and playing in front of the class] I was trying to motivate some of my students,” Johnston says. “I was telling them that I knew learning this material was a challenge for them. They had some bad test scores, or some of the kids did, and I said that I knew how that can be -- I’m sure it is very demoralizing and frustrating.”

Because Johnston has personally struggled with her effort in learning how to play the guitar, she thought that modeling her preservance with the instrument would show the students that giving up is never an option. “I don’t want [them] to give up because things are struggles in life and you have to find that the struggle is worth it.” Bringing in her Ibanez Acoustic Electric guitar, Johnston explains her goal to show the class that, “I do not play that well. But if I am asking [them] to raise [their] hand and take a risk of asking a question and maybe feeling stupid because [they] don’t know that answer, then I will also take the risk of playing the guitar in front of [them] poorly. “I guess I wanted them to see that I really do understand them. I’m in their shoes. I get the butterflies. I get choked up like they do when they are taking one of my tests or I ask them a question,” she says.

Quick Bites

-Opened October 1

-Offers dine in and carry out

-Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner

-On Hamilton Row in downtown Birmingham

-Popular dishes include: Glass Noodles, Shrimp Tempura, and Honey Chicken Salad

-Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Sushi chef John Kim makes a rainbow sushi roll at Birmingham Sushi Cafe

to solve it, but I also learned some of it intuitively. It just took a lot of practice.” Calvas was one of three students in Giorgia Anderson’s three Honors Geometry classes who were able to solve this 80’s icon. He even topped Will Smith’s 55-second cube record in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. “It’s an awesome talent,” says Theodora Calvas, Michael’s mother. “It shows he has a detailed mind and he’s able to solve complicated issues and matters. He can even solve 5x5 Rubik’s cubes.” “It deals with a visual-spatial part of your brain and is such

a good way for kids to learn and visualize things,” Anderson says. “With the Rubik’s cube, you are observing patterns and making generalizations. When he took on this Rubik’s cube, [we saw] a whole new side of the quiet, shy Michael. He was so

involved and passionate about it that he motivated a lot of other kids to start thinking [about it.]” “It’s just sort of fun to show off, to be able to go, ‘I can solve a

Rubik’s cube and you can’t,’” says Michael. “In the end, it’s something to pass the time; it’s something fun to do.”

Usually in sushi restaurants I am over-whelmed by the grandiose oriental decor and music. Birmingham Sushi cafe had small Asian accents like the oriental banner over the sushi bar and soy sauce pots on the ta-bles, but the feel is modern overall. Looking at the menu I was overwhelmed by the various choices in sushi and other entrees the restaurant offered. Some of the entrees included bibimbap which is assorted vegetables, beef, eggs and rice in a hot stone bowl with sweet spicy sauce ($13.95), chick-en teriyaki ($12.50), salmon teriyaki ($15.95), shrimp and scallop teriyaki ($19.50), filet mingon terkiyaki ($21.95) and lobster ravioli, which is lobster mousse over a lobster creme sauce with a lobster claw ($25.95). I ended up ordering a crunch California roll ($6.50), shrimp tempura roll ($7.50), a crazy roll ($6.50) and some edamame ($3.50). Al-though these prices are slightly higher than Tokyo Sushi’s (also in downtown Birming-ham), the rolls are much bigger and are made with higher quality ingredients. First the edamame (salted baby soybeans) came. It was at the perfect temperature; not cold but not too hot and it was perfectly salt-

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JAKE GORDON/shield

sophomore Michael Calvas

PROFILE

Jessica Rankemanaging editor

>see JOHNSTON

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Vivan Johnston plays guitar for her seventh hour government class. she is currently working on mastering “Blackbird” by the Beatles.

“It is what it is.” Wait – what is “it?” Typically used to express acceptance of the seemingly inevitable, we have all heard this meaningless cliché hundreds of times. This phrase is extremely dis-missive and little more than an excuse to avoid answering a question or taking responsibility, and that is exactly why I dislike it. “I made a mistake, so it is what it is, I guess,” said Britney Spears after being caught in 2007 driving with her 16-week-old son on her lap, rather than in a car seat. If her son had been seriously injured in a car accident while positioned in Spears’ lap, would this pop star have used the same excuse? I can only imagine the public reaction if Spears were to say, “Well…my son is extremely injured. It is what it is, I guess.” In a recent October 2009 national Marist Poll, “It is what it is” was voted the third most annoying phrase to hear in conver-sation behind “whatever” and “you know,”

as the top two most ir-ritating. The survey con-cluded that 11 percent of Americans, approximate-ly 33,446,569 p e o p l e , loathe hear-ing this state-ment as the answer to a question or an excuse

for a mistake. After being pestered in 2006 about for-mer Vice President Dick Cheney’s embar-rassing hunting accident, White House press secretary, Scott McClellan said, somewhat petulantly, “We went through it thoroughly yesterday. It is what it is, and I think it’s time to move on.” Last time I checked, that is not an an-swer. The “it” – the fact that Cheney care-lessly shot Texas attorney Harry Whit-tington while quail hunting – “is what IT is.” What does that even mean? What’s done is done, and cannot be changed? Where’s the sympathy for Whittington in saying, “It is what it is?” It is almost as though McClellan was suggesting, “so what?” Those five, trite words merely provided an “easy out” for a busy political aide, who did not have the time or desire to respond to a question he could not answer without embarrassing his boss. Maybe Mr. McClellan, along with many others, should be reminded to “say what you mean, and mean what you say.” Of course, that has its problems, too. Whatever, I guess it is what it is.

Struggling through seizuresAndover junior tells the tale of how she lives with epilepsy

This phrase is ex-tremely dismissive and little more than an excuse to avoid answering a question or taking responsibil-ity, and that is exactly why I dislike it.

Lauren Hendricksonsenior sports advisor and web editor

Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic and…meditating? “Meditation is part of the class Health Psychol-ogy, where we look at techniques that connect the mind and body to take care of both at the same time,” Andrea McCoy, Health Psychology teacher at Model High School, explains as the reason why students meditate in her class. “At Harvard Medical School and other mind-body institutes, they teach the ‘relaxation response,’ which is a type of meditative technique that kicks in the opposite of the fight or flight response. [Re-laxation response] is basically what the hospitals call meditation so that people aren’t intimi-dated by the word, and is a different type of treatment.” This practice is also used in Model’s Phi-losophy class, taught by Bruce Kezlarian, who thinks it is especially important for

young adults of today. “I think there are far too many de-mands that are placed on students. I don’t think there’s enough time for young adults to be by themselves.

From a very early age, there’s this push to be involved in sports or music lessons or whatever. Not that that’s a bad thing, but they are made out to be more important

than they are, and there should be no related stress.”

Senior Hunter Cooper believes that meditation is strongly connected to his

psychology class. “When you actually experience something, instead of just reading about it, it can connect you to the

cultures behind the idea in a deeper sense. I think kids actually take it very

seriously.” For both McCoy and Kezlarian, the objectives are similar. “This is an important concept because it can help students not get held up on minor setbacks and stay focused on their larger goals, all while main-taining a positive and healthy state of mind. The big thing is to make an attempt to empty your mind, and that’s what we focus on in class, and it’s kind of a hard thing to do. It’s the idea of ‘dying every second’, that we need to leave things where they’re

at and move forward,” says Kezlarian.

According to AP Psychology teacher Vivian Johnston, “Research suggests that meditation over time reduces stress, which may reduce heart problems and immune disorders. There are definitely mental benefits which carry over into physical benefits.” Since incorporating this new form of instruction, Mc-Coy and Kezlarian have noticed a change in their stu-dents. “It’s really nice to see my students meditate in class,” says McCoy. “I’m leading them, so I’m watching them, so I look at their breath and see who’s really down and relaxed and who’s falling asleep and who’s not relaxed.

A lot of my students are integrating medi-tation into their lives on a daily basis, and they feel a lot calmer, they feel more fo-cused.” “For Adventure English, we have an overnight at a mountain,” says Kezlarian. “We meditate there by lying down on the forest carpet and doing some breathing exercises, and we listen to the sounds and try to focus on what’s happening. In-evitably, the students are very alert and receptive. I do stay in contact with my former students, and I find that medita-tion has opened them up to a new way of life - one that is more centered on the present.” Johnston says that there is a rational

explanation behind these benefits. “ In terms of brain waves, EEG readings have shown that during meditation, alpha and theta brain waves are dominant. These brain waves are associated with a state of deep relaxation or even light sleep. In terms of general physiology, heart rate, the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide all slow down.” “In fact, there was a study conducted in 2001 on Ti-betan monks whose lives were spent meditating,” con-tinues Johnston. “When their brains were analyzed, there was more activity seen in the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with attention. Also, there was an abnormally low amount of activity in the parietal lobe, which controls awareness of the body’s position in space. It makes sense that the study’s findings support that meditation allows for intense focusing and being able to be less focused on your surroundings and more focused on internal thought processes.” Cooper comments on how learning to meditate has affected his life. “I enjoy meditating on my own time after learning how to in Philosophy class. It’s a very different experi-ence that has taught me how to f o c u s and stay re-

laxed.”

lifeB2

Model incorporates a different style of learning

Research suggests that meditation over time reduces stress, which may reudce heart probelms and immune disorders. VIVIAN JOHNSTONAP Pyschology teacher

Talia Goldmannews page editor

Saloni Godbolesenior news advisor

Meditationat Model

Facts about epilepsy

-Epilepsy is also called a seizure disor-der

-Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes

-About 3 million people in the United States have a form of epilepsy

-Source: Epi-lepsy Founda-tion

Natasha Amin wanders down the aisle of her neighborhood grocery store. Sud-denly, without warning, she falls to her right and begins to shake violently. For this Andover junior, these seizures are a fact of life. “I don’t have a trigger,” Amin explains. “I don’t have to worry about lights, or stuff like that. [My seizures are] com-pletely and utterly random. The only time I know it happened is when it’s done, because I’ll wake up somewhere unusual, and my head will be throbbing. I’ll have a migraine, and my body will feel like every muscle has tensed up and weakened. I’m incapable of moving on my own. A lot of times my father or my brother will have to carry me to my bed or paramedics will have to put me on a stretcher.” Because Amin has grand mal tonic clon-

ic epilepsy, her seizures are sporadic, oc-curring when a brief surge of electrical activity affects her brain. “It was pretty devastating, very heart-breaking,” her father, Dr. Mohammed Amin ex-plains. “In the begin-ning I thought maybe [her seizures were something that] only happened once. Then it happened a second time. It didn’t go away. It just kept coming more and more. Finally, we went to a specialist and starting working on it and [have been] ever since.” Since her seizures began when she was nine years old, Amin has been work-ing with doctors and oth-ers to overcome the various problems accompanying her situation. “In middle school, people called me ‘seizure girl,’” Amin says. “That was very troubling for me; I took it very harshly. But now, people don’t really know unless

I tell them. If you meet me one day and you hang out with me, you won’t be able to tell.” Although others may not be able to tell

that Amin deals with a seizure disorder, her parents worry about her leading them to take actions trying to protect her. “Freshman year, [my par-ents] thought it was necessary to have someone follow me around, watch where I go and what I do in case anything ever happens. It was terrible; I hat-ed it. I tried to get away from her all the time,” tells Amin. However, Amin recently had an experience affecting her perspective. “It was about two months ago the first time I watched

another person in real life actually have a seizure themselves, and it was really reflective,” she says. “It kind of made me understand why my parents are so scared, or why people call an ambulance. It’s an experience. When you watch it, it’s

so different.” As Amin saw, there are physical risks involved when having a seizure, such as the victim falling on a hard surface and injuring themselves. Because of this, Amin has to take precautions. “There are many things I can’t do,” ex-plains Amin. “I have to be really careful when I’m in class. I cannot drive, which doesn’t work out so well.” Dr. Amin describes how his daughter handles the disease. “It’s obviously pretty depressing for her. Her friends can do a lot of things she cannot. But she very strong-willed and has a strong personality, [and] she has accepted it very strongly. I’m very proud of my daughter. ” According to Dr. Amin, his daughter has had epilepsy symptoms for several years now, but the possibility exists for her not to have the disease as she grows older. “We are hoping and we are praying that one day she’ll outgrow it,” says Dr. Amin. “Hopefully there will be a brighter future for her.”

Health

Hendrickson muses on overused cliché

“It is what it is”

The only time I know it happened is when it’s done, be-cause I’ll wake up somewhere unusu-al, and my head will be throbbing.

NATASHA AMIN

Fresh-man, Eve Sherbin,

practices unique yoga posi-tions, including the tree pose (top),

the standing bow pulling pose (left), the triangle pose (middle), and the half

moon (right). Students can learn these moves and othersin Model’s Philoso-

phy class and Health Phsycology class.

is so repetitive that I begin to lose track of the song’s meaning. Both albums have deluxe versions, which are just versions with a few new songs as well as remixed versions of songs from the original albums. Break-through’s recently released deluxe ver-sion can be found for $5 on sale on Ama-zon.com. The problem with buying a deluxe edi-tion of any CD is that you don’t always like the extra songs. If I wanted the extra songs I would listen to them online and download them from sites like Amazon and iTunes. Mainly targeting teenage girls, Break-through is the perfect play-list addition to help drone out the chaos of Thanksgiving preparations. It’s also the perfect album to entertain guests with because the lyr-ics in these love songs are touching, en-lightening , inspirational, and clean.

Me”. Lyrics like “I can’t imagine what it’d be like, living each day in this life without you...” make me feel surround-ed by warmth. The song “Bubbly” in the first album is light hearted, but the song “You Got Me” sinks deeper into my soul because the words have more emotional depth. The album Breakthrough makes me feel like being on a white sandy beach, located on an uncharted island, far away. While most songs in the latest al-bum are enjoyable, there are two that I do not like: “Runnin’ Around” and “I Never Told You”. The first song has touching words but I do not like the melody because it doesn’t merge with the words or wrap you in any particular feeling. Also, the chorus is repeated too many times throughout the song which is boring. “I Never Told You” is also one of my least favorite songs because the chorus

Browsing through Best Buy’s Pop section, something caught my eye. Without hesitation I grabbed Colbie Calliat’s latest CD Breakthrough. Even though it came out in August, I knew I would instantly like it since I fell in love with her first album, Coco (2007). In contrast with Coco, the 12 track Breakthrough sounds like it has been written from deep inside Colbie’s soul. It has a sensational blend of songs deal-ing with her love and loss. Coco has songs dealing with love and loss but they lack a distinct flow. The songs are longer than on her first album and have more depth. The best is the four minute “You Got

“I think it has made some kind of connection and they see me as a human who is trying to struggle just like they are trying to struggle with something.” Dershem believes hearing Johnston play has been an effective method of motivation for not only completing assignments but also for studying for the tests. “The motivation of having a day where we are just chilling out and listening to her play the guitar -- that is motivation enough to do the work,” he says. “I think in the future if she offers to play [guitar] more, people are going to try to earn that privilege of listening to her play [by doing their work].” Another of Johnston’s students, senior Joel Mitter, appreciates that he is able to see Johnston as more than just a teacher. “I like it that it shows a different side of her. When she’s teaching economics we don’t see the artistic or creative side [that we see when she plays guitar],” Mitter says. “I play a bunch of different instruments so I know how hard it is to learn something new. I can relate to how difficult it is to start playing an instrument so I respect her for pursuing something new.” Not only has playing the guitar motivated her Government class, but it has also helped Johnston achieve her one of her lifelong dreams. This dream was fulfilled last spring when she went out to lunch with good friend, Ed Spilker. Spilker, who plays in a band, asked to stop in at a guitar shop while they were out. There, a guitar caught Johnston’s eye. After Spilker tested and approved the guitar, Johnston purchased it and began learning to play soon after. After practicing everyday and nearly 20 hours every week, Johnston admits to sometimes feeling frustrated with her lack of progress. However, remembering her goal -- to play for her own enjoyment and not to pursue it professionally--helps alleviate her frustrations and encourage her to continue. “I think there’s something relaxing about

[the guitar]. That’s what’s h e l p i n g me not get fr ustrated,” s a y s Johnston.

“ W h a t h a p p e n e d that really encouraged me, my father and mother were not well this past spring. I

went up north [where they live] with my guitar because I was having to do a lot of sitting around,” she says. “I just started playing these chords that I was learning -- no songs, just practicing chords and the fingering -- and my dad sat down next to me and said ‘I just want to sit here and listen to you’ and he said ‘it sounds so beautiful’ and I was just playing the C chord and G chord. I was doing nothing but my dad found it really relaxing and sat down next to me.” The progress Johnston has made since the spring is impressive, according to Spilker. “I started playing when I was 12 years old and it easily took me well more than a year to get anywhere near where she has gotten,” says Spilker. “As a guitarist, she has a natural ability. Considering the length of time she has been playing, she makes me want to go home and throw all my equipment away. It is unfortunate that she didn’t discover [these skills] years ago.” Johnston recently took up the guitar because is is something she has wanted to do since she was age “ten or twelve. If I wanted to do something for over 40 years, I don’t have a lot of time left to not follow through, so I’m going to follow through.”

Calliat’s new CD breaks throughBreakthrough is a worthy successor to Calliat’s first

I think there’s something relaxing about [the guitar]. That is what’s helping me not get frustrated.

VIVIAN JOHNSTONsocial studies teacher

from B1JOHNSTON: guitar

lifeB3

Kaya Koscielny staff writer

Loney ‘Toons

JOSH

LONE

Y/sh

ield

Breakthrough Facts

- Follow-up to 2007’s Coco

- Released August 25

- Noteworthy songs include “You Got Me”

- Available on Amazon for $11.49

- Deluxe versions available with five bonus tracks

- Tracks dealing with loss and love

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With this coupon and a Andover Student ID

Beyond Juice Gift Cards are available in any denomination and make great stocking stuffers. This year remember to give the gift of good health.

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A healthy alternative to fast food

Offer Valid thru December 31st 2009

life B4

lifeB5

Challenge day

“If you really knew me...” “If you really really knew me...” On November 10 and 11, approximately 250 students and faculty lowered the wa-terline keeping it real during the first ever Challenge Day at Andover. “To me, (this) is an opportunity to bring together the notion that we are more alike than we are different,” says principal Rob Durecka, who participated on the second day. “To do that in a self-contained setting would work excellently for our school.” After a year of planning, Dureka, along with psychologist Dr. Ronda Diegel and a steering committee of approximately thirty faculty and staff members finally saw their hours of meet-ings come to fruition. “I was a little nervous and a little worried if the kids would take this opportunity seri-ously or be ‘oh I get out of school for a day,’” says committee member and participant Mary Blair. “(In the end) I was really proud of the stu-dents and the staff. I had never seen that side of some of them. It’s one of those things that is an experience and even for an English teacher it is hard to put into words.” Orginating 22 years ago, Yvonne and Rich-ard Dutra-St. John co-founded Challenge Day and the Be the Change Movement as a service to schools with students grades 7-12 and other organizations and companies. Since the first Challenge Day in 1987, the Dutra-St. John’s vi-sion has been in more than 450 cities, 45 U.S. states, five Candaian provinces, Japan, Germa-ny and Australia. “It is difficult to really put into words how the day impacts each individual, so I have bor-rowed from the Challenge Day website to help explain their mission,” explains Dureka “The primary focus of all Challenge Day work is to end the fear, separation, isolation, and loneli-ness that is the root to almost every destructive behavior.” Dureka continues to explain that the 6 1/2- hour program designed for 100 students per day is a day-long, interactive program provid-ing teens and adults with tools to “tear down the walls of separation, inspiring participants to live, study, and work in an encouraging envi-ronment of acceptance, love and respect.” The Dutra-St. John’s believe “that our schools are a microcosm of the larger community. People often ask what inspired us to do the work that we do. The bottom line is that we are parents.When we created Challenge Day, our kids were ages one, two, three and four and we did not want them to go through the pain we did grow-ing up.” Diegel explains that although “Andover isn’t a

school where there is a lot of physical violence, which I’m really grateful for, the bullying and the way people felt separated and put down, was more relatable. There is a lot of gossip, ex-cluding and talking behind people’s backs, so we wanted to do something that created a more inclusive environment where people see what we all have in common, break down some of the barriers that exist between cliques.” As stated on their website, Challenge Day and the Be the Change Movement was featured in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and high-lighted as part of two different nationally tele-vised documen-taries: The Teen Files: Surviving High School, which won an Emmy Award in 2000, and “The Bully So-lution”, which aired across Canada and won The Gold Ribbon Award from the Cana-dian Association of Broadcast-ers. Challenge Day caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey who experienced the power on her show entitled Oprah’s High School Chal-lenge, in November 2006. In front of millions of people she tearfully declared, “This is how we change the world. I believe this show repre-sents the very idea of Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream fulfilled. It is the dream of giving hope a chance, giving peace a chance, giving love a chance.” Even before the day began, several faculty members like social studies teachers Ken Cam-eron and Blair attended a similar program at Sterling Heights High School in order to expe-rience a Challenge Day for themselves. “Keep in mind I was taking part in this with a bunch of high school kids I didn’t know,” Cam-eron says. “Yet I could tell it was positive and I

was able to make bonds with them. I thought we should bring it to our high school. It seems that we lack school unity at times and this seems to encourage that and helps get people on the same page.” After researching the program, Dureka and his committee faced the financial costs. “We were able to fund about half of it with grant money and about half came out of our construction budget, which both contributed about $5,000 (of the $10,000).” Dureka who when looking back says, “I definitely think it was worth it.”

Many students agree. “I really think it was worth it,” says sopho-more Chelsea Lewis, who partici-pated on Wednesday. “It was an eye opener and a wake up call. Everyone should do this, because it really has made a positive change.” Led by Challenge Day leaders Kate and Jake, the day began with a Soul Train type tunnel formed by staff members cheering the day’s participants. “I quite enjoyed Challenge Day. It really made me learn about my friends and about myself,” says Tuesday participant, sophomore

Candace Calloway. “I know this vision is idealistic, but I am sure the Andover community can begin to make this vision a reality. With this end in mind, you will soon hear about additional details for a new club named the Be The Change Team. Several students who attended Challenge Day have al-ready signed up, and it is open to all students. It’s the goal to have about 85 percent going through the program, considering our popu-lation of about 950 kids and 200 kids per day, we would want everyone to go through Chal-lenge Day before they graduate,” Dureka says. “If you are interested in helping to change the culture of Andover, please consider being a part of this group.”

Road to the

Challenge

Bringing changes to social climate

I had no idea what I was getting into as I entered the field

house on Tuesday morn-ing.

Seeing my teach-

ers, counselors and other adults making a Soul Train dance tunnel, I realized I walked into a dance party. While some became excited with this realization high-fiving the adults, I became uncomfortable, instantly deciding I would stay inside my “personal bubble” for the rest of the day. I was not yet ready for this experience. I was not ready to be challenged. However, that didn’t last long and my “bub-ble” slowly deflated after weird games where we danced butt-to-butt, sat on one another’s lap and played beach volleyball where the adults cheered us on by standing on chairs and mak-ing human pyramids. After all the silliness, it was time to “get real.” we did this with the line game. This is where my bubble popped. Jake, one of our Challenge Day leaders, start-ed the game by explaining what oppression was and we had a pleasant conversation about those who are oppressed. Obvious answers such as people’s skin color, weight, and religion were provided. Then Jake taped two blue lines on

the floor. As we stood on one line. Kate, our other Challenge Day leader, read off a series of statements. If it applied to you, you stepped over the line facing the other side. Questions ranged from religion to race to abuse to death to suicide. As each person who crossed the line, my respect for them grew. As the activity continued it became physically laborious to step over the line. I watched my teachers, my classmates, my friends and people I didn’t even know, struggle to walk over the line. As they stood looking at us we raised our hands showing the international sign of “I love you.” The hardest question for me was, “If you have ever been made fun of for your weight, please step over the line.” As I stepped over the line the suppport of the others hand gesture fortified me. I stood up taller and stronger. The feeling was of complete caring and friendship. The line game exposed our problems, but did not solve them. The healing process came within our small “family groups.” My bubble was totally gone now and instead of feeling em-

Breaking barriers crossing lines and popping bubbles

Nicole Kiester and Ashley DuboisStaff writer

the 6 1/2- hour program designed for 100 students per day is a day-long, interactive program providing teens and adults with tools to “tear down the walls of separation”

Katie shares her story with the rest of the participants

Sam GordonStaff writer

lifeBringing changes to social climate

the floor. As we stood on one line. Kate, our other Challenge Day leader, read off a series of statements. If it applied to you, you stepped over the line facing the other side. Questions ranged from religion to race to abuse to death to suicide. As each person who crossed the line, my respect for them grew. As the activity continued it became physically laborious to step over the line. I watched my teachers, my classmates, my friends and people I didn’t even know, struggle to walk over the line. As they stood looking at us we raised our hands showing the international sign of “I love you.” The hardest question for me was, “If you have ever been made fun of for your weight, please step over the line.” As I stepped over the line the suppport of the others hand gesture fortified me. I stood up taller and stronger. The feeling was of complete caring and friendship. The line game exposed our problems, but did not solve them. The healing process came within our small “family groups.” My bubble was totally gone now and instead of feeling em-

barrassed, I was excited to share. In that small family, I was ready to share with people what I had trouble with. The words rushed out of my mouth. I spoke of social issues mainly. But what I said was not important, the importance of the activity was the feeling of complete freedom and safety within your group. To be honest, I believed Challenge Day would be a corny way to get out of school. I was shocked to find myself leaving that gymnasium with a higher self-esteem and the knowledge that I am not alone in my problems. I knew I was not alone because for every time I had to step over that line, a group of people came with me. That feeling of belonging was extremely important for me. Challenge Day was just the beginning of a school wide change. And the only way to make a true difference is “To Be The Change”. The challenge that I have given myself is to think before I act. School life at Andover high school will be better if people think about how their actions will affect others.

When I was first given the permission slip for Challenge Day, I read that we were going to bond with our fellow classmates and about 50 other people I didn’t know. I threw the sheet away. I pictured hundreds of students packed into the gym listening to a speech we’ve all heard count-less times before about how we were all sup-posed to get along. There was no way I was go-ing to miss a day full of my hardest classes to sit in the gym and do trust exercises. The day before the permission slips were due, my counselor called me down to her office and asked why I hadn’t turned in the permission slip. She convinced me to give it a try and handed me another. I reluctantly took it home for my par-ents to sign. As the week went on, I heard stories about how people had actually grown closer to one another and even made friends. I’ll be the first to admit it, I cried all throughout the day. The exercise that spoke to me the most was when we all stood behind the line as the Challenge Day Leader read off categories, feel-ings and situations that anyone can go through. As I watched my peers walk across the line, I was shocked at how much people go through; their struggles and fears, many of which I had in common, and how we all support one another. In one day I’ve never been even close as compas-sionate towards another human being; I felt as if I’d grown closer to everyone. If I had just thrown away that sheet of paper and if my counselor had just dismissed the fact that I was uncomfortable with the activity, I would have never realized the similarities I have with everyone around me.

Letting the tears flow

Challenge Day, an eye-opening experience, or just another anti-bullying conference? I’m sure I wasn’t the only person asking myself that ques-tion as 119 other students were pushed through the gym doors. Teachers formed a tunnel encouraging us through, whilst screaming, jumping up and down. Right then and there I knew- Anti-bully-ing conference. Boy was I wrong. I was put into a “small family group” and told to give them my life story in about two minutes. Skeptical, I looked around my group and saw I knew no one. It’s one thing to pour your heart out in two minutes, but an entire different situa-tion to complete strangers! Once we got the ball rolling, what I heard amazed me. It wasn’t the fact that people could tell everything about them in two minutes, that wasn’t even important. What was important was all the hurt my “family” had gone through. Truly life changing is the only way I can describe it. I thought in Bloomfield Hills a lot of people had pretty good lives, but at the end of the day, I saw half the gym was crying. In my opinion, none of the crying was bad at all. It symbolized that people could be sympathetic to others, regardless of whether what they’ve gone through has ever happened to them.If you get a chance to go to Challenge Day, take it. The things you see, do, and express will change you, enlighten you, and most importantly, make you a better person.

Not just another conference

Emotional day brings Kiester to tears

Jones made better person by Challenge Day

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JAKE GORDON/shield

Left: Challenge Day Leader Katie holds up her hand as she asks for volunteers to demonstrate the proper technique in giving a hug.Top Right: Joe Abrash, 10, and health teacher Lisa Reiter lock arms and pretend to drive a car together. This was part of a set of challenges that were presented in the beginning of the day in order to get people out of their comfort zones.Bottom Right: Participants of Challenge day hold up the international sign for “I love you.” The sign was used throughout the day.

Right: As one of the leaders, Jake helped to facilitate the day.

Below: As the day began, everybody participating in the day sat in a circle, listening to the instructions for the day.

However, the sitting did not last long as almost immediatly the group was dancing and playing games.

Nicole Kiester Staff writer

Max JonesStaff writer

life B7

challengeday

Far left: Math teacher Jane Briskey plays leap frog with the other teachers as inspiration while the students play giant volleyball during the first day of Challenge Day which took place November 10 and 11 in the Andover gymnasium. To win the game, each team not only had to volley the gigantic plastic beach ball, but had to have the loudest cheer section. The teachers acted as cheerleaders making pyramids, play-ing leap-frog, yelling and clapping.

Left: Hooking arms, history teacher Ken Cameron and Hailey Lefkosky (11) get out of their comfort zones. The activity helped people feel comfortable with one another by dancing back to back. The goal of the activity was to break down the barriers between the students and their mentors.

Left: Between activities, the Challenge Day leaders would tell stories, explain ac-tivities or ask others to share. Students spent almost as much time in the circle discussing as they did doing activities outside the circle. Students discussed issues at Andover and how to make it a more united student body.

Above: Anthony Jarbo (11) reaches up to hit the giant volleyball. All students were supposed to stay seated and pass the ball from one side to the other. Students tried to score points, much like vol-leyball, but the team awarded the point was the team that had the most cheering (helped by the teacher cheer-leaders).

Above: “If you have ever stepped in dog poop move over three chairs to the right.”

Students and faculty like Rachel Pad (11) and Lisa Acton would move over the

amount of chairs dictated by the Challenge Day leaders. They had to sit in the chair, no matter how many people were already

there. In the end, the goal was to make the biggest pile up on one chair.

Right: Challenge Day leader Katie tells her personal story. Stunents gathered around as she introduced the “If you really knew me...” activity by telling her own. In this activity, students and faculty gathered in small groups and told their own personal

stories. Right: Max Jones (10) raises his arm with

others in the international sign of love. Throughout the day, students would raise their hands in this sign to cheer others on

silently, such as during the line game where people would cross the line of you fit a

described situation.

200 students and faculty get together to learn about similarities and differences.

Photos by: KYLE KAVANAGH/shield, CHELSEA JOLLY/sheild, and JAKE GORDON/shieldDesign and Text by: MADELINE MCILHON/shield, ASHLEY DUBOIS/shield

sportsBaxter conquers

Scoliosis

Reaching for new heights

Foot Notes

* Levels are in order from 1-10 based on skill

* Scoring system is based on a scale of 10 points, with 30 points being the maximum

*Competitors recieve point deductiions for errors in boh technique and skill

Two students look to advance to Junior Olympics for fourth time

Keeping the rhythm Matt Luckoff

sports editor

Allison Brooks and Dana Goldberg are ready to do it again. “I really want to make top 10 this year,” Brooks says about competing in the Junior Olympics for rhythmic gymnastics. “The closest I’ve ever gotten was 13th. Someday I want to make the national team, which is the top 10 girls in the whole U.S, not just the top 10 girls in my level.” Goldberg adds, “There’s definitely more pressure [with] more people looking at you, and it affects whether your coach thinks you can move up to the next level.” For the past three years, this sophomore

Pursuing common goals

Athletic program receives a boost from bigger faster stronger program

Alex Chudlercopy editor

Andover head football coach James Dewald brings in the professionals. On Friday November 6 and Saturday November 7, the national program Bigger Faster Stronger came to Andover to help improve the athletic program both physically and mentally. “Bigger Faster Stronger is a national company known for coming in and bringing high schools together, unifying their athletic programs both in the weight room and their attitude,” explains Dewald The program was split into two days, Friday working on the mental aspect and Saturday devoted to the physical. “Friday was what is called being an 11

seminar, which is basically is a motivational seminar. They talked about on a scale of one to ten where you would be, we want to be an 11. Whether that’s making decisions with your friends in a social setting, making decisions in the weight room, or making decisions in the classroom you have to choose how hard you want to work and how well you want to do, and we always want to push for that 11,” says Dewald. “Saturday was the actual weightlifting instruction where they went through the six core lifts, auxiliary lifts, dot drill, showing everything it will take to be a successful athlete,” he says. While this program is new to Andover, it is far from new across the nation. Bigger Faster Stronger has been around for 28 years, helping athletes train in many different ways. The founder and CEO, Greg Shepard has worked as a strength and conditioning coach at Oregon State University, University of

James Feuereisenstaff writer

and freshman have been two of nearly 500 of the best rhythmic gymnasts from across the country competing in the Junior Olympics. According to Brooks, going to the Junior Olympics, held in Chicago from June 18-22, is a really big deal. “When you go to regionals, which anyone can go to, you have to place in the top 10 in your level to qualify for the Junior Olympics,” Goldberg explains. These two have practiced at the Oakland Rhythmics gymnastics club for the past seven years. Brooks explains that unlike regular gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics includes the events of balls, clubs, ribbon, rope and hoop. “My best [event] is either floor or clubs, because on floor you don’t use any equipment and I like clubs so it’s easy for me to do,” Goldberg says. “My worst is ribbon because it’s hard. There are some ballet parts that I don’t enjoy, but it’s part of what you need to do because there’s a lot of dance involved.” The gymnasts explain that there is much preparing that

Rubin’s boys are ready for a rebound. “This season, our team has lots of potential,” says varsity head coach Jeff Rubin. “I think we can win 14/15 games, be competitive to win our league and get to the district playoffs. Each player has a year of varsity experience under me as a coach, so they know what it takes to compete day in and day out. Last season this was not the case, as 13 players were playing varsity for the first time, which is a reason we did not do so well. I feel experience will be the key factor that contributes to our success.” Athletic Director R.J Guizzetti shares a similar outlook. “I expect the team to be in the running for the league championship. Their experience will be of great benefit. Coach Rubin has a history of doing well when there are many returning seniors, two years ago being a good example, as that season contained many returning seniors.” Both agree this experience lies in the hands of six key players. Looking at the 2008-2009 season stats, three of these returning players’

> C3

Max Nathan #33Guard

30% 3pt FG

Danny Weiss #32Center

Led team in total rebounds

Dean Herzoff #21Forward

Led team in assists

Jimmy Lahood #11Forward77% FG

contributed to the team’s offense, Matanya Kidron, Dean Herzoff, and Danny Weiss. Last season Kidron averaged 13.6 points per game, and scored 272 points for the team, while Dean Herzoff was the team leader in assists. Finally, Weiss led the team in total rebounds. “Adam Howes and Jimmy LaHood are important for defense and being the tough players. Finally, there is Max Nathan who, being captain, is the floor leader for the team. In addition, there are a handful of juniors who have been playing basketball for a long time,” says Rubin. Rubin feels another advantage is the team’s chemistry. “Many of the returning players

have been playing with each other since they were freshman and all of them were on the varsity team last year. In addition, they have played with each other during the off season, whether it being actual games or just seeing each other in off season conditioning. In fact, last summer our team played 55 games around the area. We maximize the opportunities during the summer. Playing more often allows for chemistry among the players to really develop, which is one of the top three conditions of having a good team. Most other teams do not have the chemistry we do.” Along with the experience, Rubin acknowledges the team’s abilities. “Although not as talented as our team was two

years ago, which had a few college level players and went undefeated in leagues, I still feel that any team can be good as long as the team has the ability to take talent from individuals and mold that into a team. In addition, compared to last year, our leadership is much better, which will guide our team well. The lack of leadership last year was one of the reasons we did not do so well. Players were often misguided and only by putting their individual goals aside can we have group success,“ comments Rubin, who’s c o a c h i n g v a r s i t y basketball for the fourth year. > C3

see BASKETBALL

see GYMNASTICS

> C3 > C3see BFS

Photos: JAKE GORDON/shield; Design: MATT LUCKOFF/shield and JAKE GORDON/shield

The boys’ varsity basketball team looks to prove doubters wrong by improving from last season with an experienced starting five

Adam Howes #20 Forward 86% 2pt FG

Statistics from 2008-2009 season

sportsC2

Six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has brought cycling to the masses, and everyone is hearing his call. More and more people are flocking to their neighborhood gyms for a new type of workout. Spinning instructor at LA fit-ness in Bloomfield Hills, Erin Fox, says “spinning has become very popular here; our classes are always full.” This workout, called spinning, incorpo-rates a stationary bike with simple sets of movements and different hand positions on the handlebars. The instructor helps the class monitor their heart rates with heart rate monitors and their RPM (rota-tions per minute) with a stopwatch. To distract from the intensity of the workout, the instructor usually blasts loud, pump-ing music. Spinning was founded in 1994 by Mad Dogg Inc. “Spinning” is patented term re-ferring to the Mad Dogg Spinning classes and Spinner stationary bikes. But nowa-days, spinning is a term that refers to any indoor stationary bicycling class. Most gyms offer spinning classes like LA Fitness’s Spin Zone and Bally Total Fitness’s small group Spinning. These classes are offered as part of membership to the athletic club; membership prices vary depending on season and club.

Slowly I break into a jog, then pick up the pace to a run. Running up the dirt road, I see the once-green leaves are now yellow and orange as I breathe in…and out.

In recent years, spinning has become a popular form of exercise among all types of people. Many celebrities, such as Will Ferrell and Hilary Swank, are spinning in addition to everyday peo-ple. “I loved my spinning classes although they were at five in the morn-ing. I always left with such a feeling of accom-plishment,” says Kathy McDonald, Bloomfield resident. “Spinning is an excellent way to burn calories and fat, increase endurance, and tone up,” says Fox. “It’s especially efficient [when done in] intervals, so you can burn the most calo-ries.” One only needs to do it three times a week high intensity and once a week low intensity to keep in shape. In the last several years, the ever-growing exercise has become a fitness phenomenon for people wanting a great workout in a shorter amount of time; a 60-minute class can burn more than 600 calories according to Sparkpeople.com. Spinning works the glutes, hamstrings

and quads while keeping the upper body relaxed. But since it works only the lower body, it is most efficient when cou-pled with lower back and core exercises. “It is great for people of all ages and body types because, un-like Zumba and running, it doesn’t put impact on the knees or increase joint pain,” says Fox. And spinning isn’t just good for your outer beau-ty; according to Fox, it increases the VO2 max (lung capacity), builds endurance and increases strength all over. Andover

sophomore Eric Enache says “I have felt such an improvement in my leg strength since I started spinning classes.” “Spinning is not just a ‘hard-core’ fitness program for elite athletes. Instead, this high-energy group exercise integrates music, camaraderie, and visualization in a complete mind/body exercise program,” says Holly Little, personal trainer and blog-ger on Sparkpeople.com. “Spinning is a great all around exercise,” says Fox . “Everyone should try it.”

Spinning:

The hill is coming closer. Preparing to pump my arms, I dig my toes in as I head up freshman year hill. My high school career is paral-lel to running down a long road. Like the hills on the road, there are many challenges throughout the time in high school. That hill was unforgiving; there is no rest or downhill afterwards. Luckily, it was just the beginning and my breathing is only start-ing to pick up now. I coast along a stretch of flat ground. Joining sports teams, such as cross country, help me find a place. It brought a confidence in dur-ing sophomore year. But the rest of the year holds no surprises, and I begin to get bored. I plod along, telling myself that I

Goldman gains insights from her running careerjust have to just push through this part to get to the end.

The steepest hill so far came up fast. Junior year was like a mountain ascending into the sky. I’ve heard about the hor-rors of running up it before, and I have prepared grimly. The biggest obstacle on my way up the hill is the ACT. The hard work and competi-tion loom before me, com-pounded by the pressure that my score could determine my future for college. I begin to push up the hill. Adjust-

ing to the new work load, trying the ACT for the first time, working to improve my score, continuing to research universities and trying to make a big decision present

I have begun to coast down the senior year hill now.

The new cycle of life?

Parallels found between running and academics inspire important observations

Talia Goldmannews page editor

Spinning is an excellent way to burn calories and fat, increase endurance, and tone-up.

ERIN FOX spinning instructor

Andover runners excel at states

Marley Kaltlife page editor

Two cross country runners participate in state championship

Racing along the course in front of hun-dreds of cheering people, Lise Devits was looking at the ground. “There were so many people screaming, but I wasn’t looking,” Devits says. “Run-ners were falling like crazy. I was only looking down to make sure I didn’t trip over anyone. It was very scary.” Sophomore Devits, along with sopho-more Alexis Sinclair, ran at the girls’ Cross Country State Finals on November 7 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. This was the first time in three years that girls have run at the State meet. Out of 250 runners, Devits came in 81st place with her fastest time all season, 20:32, which beat her previous best by 20 seconds. Alexis came in 109th place with a 20:52. Alexis is an Academic All State runner, which means she finished in the top half of the state and has a grade point average of 3.8 or higher. “It was really exciting,” says Alexis. “I work really hard for my grades. I think it’s important that athletes try to get good grades [while also being good at their sport].” This season, Alexis entered the top ten Cross Country record board for Andover, with a 19:58 for 3.1 miles (5K). She is currently in seventh place on the board. “It was one of my goals to be on the board this year, and I was really happy to make it,” explains Alex-is. “Last year, I didn’t even do Cross Country, because I didn’t like running. But this year I decided to try it, and I love it.” Devits had to face a medical challenge to make it to States, and even to finish the season. “[Devits] battled through three major stress fractures in her legs last cross coun-try season,” says Beth Sinclair, girls’ cross country coach. “She has overcome a lot of adversity with her running to be where she was [at the State race]. I am very proud of her.” This cross country season, the girls’ team showed improvement from last year. “[At the Regional meet] our team fin-ished fourth out of eleven complete teams and a few partial teams. Last year we were in eleventh place,” Beth says. “The top three teams go to State Finals, so we just missed it as a team. However, it was a tre-mendous success for the program. Next year, I would like to take the whole team to the state finals. I would also like to see Alexis move down on the record board and get some other girls up there.” The 2009 State race was Devits’ final meet. She will be moving from the United States at the end of the school year. “Going to States was a very nice goodbye. I have been here for three years, but this is my last year in the United States because I am moving back to Belgium, where I was born,” explains Devits. “There is no cross country there. When I finished [the race], there were so many people screaming and cheering, it was amazing. I felt so good; I was like, ‘yes!’”

Audrey Fotouhi staff writer Fast Facts

-Instructor takes class on all types of terrain

-Spinning bikes allow you to ad-just resistance

-Using a spin-ning cycle will give you the aerobic burst needed to boost heart rate

-Jonathan Goldberg developed the concept of indoor cycling in the 1980s

a challenge for my already tired legs. But some things help me get up the mountain a little easier: improvement in cross country and track, a solid group of friends, and see-ing my hard work pay off. These things just get me over the top of the hill and I begin to descend. I can feel I’m approaching the end of the route. It’s no different then a swimmer approaching the end of a lap or a soccer player racing down the field to finally shoot a goal.My legs are tired and have begun to ache. But I’m so close, I can’t stop now. I have begun to coast down the senior year hill now, the only slight bump I have to get over is the work of applications. But after that, I can lengthen my stride and fly down the hill, reaching the end of my run and graduation.

Did you know?

-cross country running is a fall sport

-there are no tryouts

-the girls’ team had a winning record of 4-2

Working out on a stationary bike is this generation’s new

method of getting fit and staying healthy

AUDREY FOTOUHI/shieldGirls’ cross country runners compete in a race at the state tournament. The tournament was held in Brooklyn, MI.

Community member participates in a weekly spinning class at LA Fitness on Telegraph Road. Classes are held every day at 5:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

sports

For the most part, junior Jane Baxter appears just as any other girl on the swim and ski team. But what one would never know about Baxter is that when she hits the slopes, she is going to be using two extra poles. The two titanium rods that are in her back. Baxter had surgery for scoliosis during her sophomore year. The surgery includ-ed inserting two metal rods on the sides of her spine. “I can’t really feel them. If I’ve had a re-ally hard swim practice or I have a really long day, I feel tension in my spine,” says Baxter. The doctors took action when Baxter’s scoliosis was first discovered. “I was diagnosed with scoliosis going into my freshman year. I was put in a brace right away,” says Baxter. “Even though I just got diagnosed [freshmen year], I probably had it much longer. They caught it very late.” When the braced failed to help, Baxter and her family realized a more complex option was necessary. “When I was first diagnosed, my doc-tor made it pretty clear that I would prob-ably need surgery. Around the beginning of my sophomore year he said it was for sure and we started planning the dates,” says Baxter. “Because I knew about the surgery for a long time, it helped me be prepared but also gave me a lot of time to think about what was ahead and worry. I was really

scared of what was going to happen to her,” says Grace, Baxter’s younger sister. Most people with scoliosis don’t need the surgery. Only if it reaches a certain amount of curvature will doctors operate. “They don’t do the surgery on very many people. It has to be over a 50 degree curvature. Mine was about 52. That’s re-ally bad. The average person may have about ten,” says Baxter. Baxter had the surgery in June of her sophomore year. “I went in really early one morning. They put me under anesthesia. They cut me open and all I know is that when I woke up, I had two titanium rods in my back and nine of my vertebras were fused. To me it seemed like two seconds, but it was really six hours,” says Baxter. As if the extensive surgery wasn’t hard enough, Baxter then faced a long recov-ery with many restrictions on what she could do. “The recovery was actually pretty com-plicated. It’s supposed to be a three month full recovery but I had a lot of complica-tions. I was in the hospital for longer than I should have been. My recovery was about three and a half months,” says Bax-ter. “It was really hard. I couldn’t go out of the house. I needed help doing the easiest things. I still to this day can’t even put on a sock.” Even with the limitations caused by hav-ing poles in her back, Baxter is still an ac-tive participant on Andover’s swim team and ski team. “I can’t get down for my start yet,” says Baxter, talking about diving off the block during swim meets. “Flip turns are also harder. I can’t get into as tight of a ball. A lot of people before the surgery said that

The hockey team ended last years season with a winning record. Rick Reed, the new varsity head coach, is expecting similar re-cords, but he is also expecting better things from the program including the expansion of the team and improvement of players. In order to reach his goals Reed is willing to give his all and he is expecting the same from his players. By some standards, last year’s hockey season could be considered successful. Matt Andonian, the captain of the varsity hockey team explains that, “it felt really good to have some success and win a lot of games”, but Rick Reed viewed it as a “dismal failure.” His view of a successful hockey program is not based entirely on the number of wins.

Reed explains “At the varsity level by re-cord alone, last season was deemed a suc-cessful year. But I would not consider that successful.” Reed continues “you could have a really great record like 24 and 3, which the team had last year, but it was a complete cluster. They couldn’t even turn out enough kids to have cuts.” Reed’s view of success is based on the de-velopment of players and the expansion of the team. Reed believes that his program will attract more players to the team, while also bringing more talent to the program. “I want to institute a productivity based environment where kids have to compete for their ice time. Not necessarily against each other, but against their own capac-ity, their own personal best. I also want to implement a very strong developmental quotient to the team,” says Reed In order to implement these changes to the varsity hockey team Reed is expecting certain attributes, qualities, and skills from his players. “I want the players to focus on what they can control which is self discipline, work ethic, attitude and trying their best to get

I had a “wiggle” when I swam. Now the wiggle’s still there because I’m used to the movement, but it’s different be-cause my back is straight. I’m just really awkward this year. I can still contribute a couple points a meet to the team, but it’s really frustrating that I’m not nearly as good as I was.” While she struggles with these dif-ficulties, Jane’s participation and extra effort is recognized by those around her. “[Coach Zulkiewski] is not nearly as hard on me. He understands that it is really difficult for me this year and that I’m frustrated. I still do all of the work-outs though. I don’t get out of stuff,” says Baxter. With the ski season quickly approach-ing, Baxter fears how the surgery will affect her abilities and performance. “I’m really nervous, but the doctor told me I’d be fine. I explained to him many times that when you’re skiing in Colorado you fall and don’t stop falling for a really long time. He said I have no restrictions, so I guess we’ll see,” she says. Baxter explains how just less than a year later, the surgery no longer affects many aspects of her life. “It doesn’t affect my life too much any-more, but there are the little things,” says Baxter. “I don’t carry my books around. I have a set in the classrooms and a set at home. When I’m driving it’s hard to see out my back window, I don’t really twist like that. But other than that I can do pretty much everything.” Baxter’s worries with scoliosis are over now that the surgery has hap-pened.

Hockey coach Rick Reed gives insight to 2009-2010 seasonJarred Bratleystaff writer

Anna Zambellistaff writer

OvercomingAll About Scoliosis

-Scoliosis is the sideways curving of the spine

-Scoliosis is more common in girls than in boys

-The spine of someone with scoliosis is shaped more like a “S” or a “C”

-Scoliosis is reported to affect 2%-3% of school-age children

-Treatment for scoliosis include bracing or surgery

Sophomore Jane Baxter continues competing after surgery on spine

Scoliosis

Hockey Team

-Last year the boys hockey team had a 24-3 record

-Reed hopes to attract more players to the team

-Varsity players and Reed hope that this season will be a start to a more aggres-sive program

from C1

GYMNASTICS: Olympics

from C1

BFS: Athletes

MADELINE MCILHON/shield

C3

out of themselves as close to 100 percent of what God gave them.” According to Reed just these characteristics are not enough though. “You need to have skill to go where I want to take the team, which is eventually through the state championship.” Both the varsity hockey players and Coach Reed himself are very enthusias-tic towards the start of the 2009 and 2010 season and feel that it will be the start to a new, more aggressive program. Reed expresses his confidence towards the program he is shaping. “I really have either started a program or have taken over a program that was brand new and I was able to implement things that were able to act as change agents.” He says, “It all hinges upon leadership, not just from the coaching level but from the players. I have had over a decade of teaching leader-ship development and that is directly rel-evant to sports.” Andonian says, Coach Reed “Has got a lot of energy so that will be good for the team. He also has a lot of new ideas which will rejuvenate everything. He is really invigo-rating the team.”

they must do before competing in the regional championship. “I get ready by practicing a lot and seeing how I do in competitions before that to see where I am in the country,” Goldberg says. “Also, it helps to see if I need to change my routines in any way so I can do better in competition.” “At each meet you have to impress the judges and show them during your routine how you deserve the spot,” Brooks adds. Besides getting the chance to travel and compete among other top athletes, Goldberg sees additional advantages of gymnastics as well. “I think it helps me be more well-balanced,” Goldberg says. “I have to get all my schoolwork done, and I know that school always comes before gymnastics, so if I have too much homework or a lot of tests coming up I don’t go to practice.” “I fall behind in school a lot,” Brooks says. “When I get home I just automatically start my homework, and then I go to practice, and then when I come back I just do it again. But I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I really like how it’s different than what most people do, and I really like the people on my team.” Laura Goldberg, Dana’s mother, sees how gymnastics has made her daughter more focused, but says the downside is that she misses out on other high school experiences. “She doesn’t have an opportunity to get involved with other stuff at school,” she says. “I would love for her to be able to see what Andover has to offer that she doesn’t know about because her life is so focused on gymnastics. It’s great when she wins because I know she’s happy. I know she’s never going to make it to the Olympics; I don’t think she really wants to make it that far, but while she’s having fun that’s all that matters.” “I’m not necessarily going to hope that I place well because there are so many people and they’re all the top in the country,” Goldberg concludes. “It’s just really exciting to be going.”

Rubin is hoping to change this lack of leadership this season. For this season, the captain is Max Nathan, with another captain to be named when the season starts. However, Rubin expects all of his seniors to be leaders and to be put their individual goals aside in games. Nathan, a varsity starter who made 30 percent of three pointers last season, feels ready for his role as captain. “I was named captain for my skills as a player and my dedication over the years. As captain I want to pass on my skills and level of dedication to other players. Specifically, I will try very hard to ensure players attend all practices and workouts, even if they are over breaks. Additionally, I want to ensure our team is mentally focused, which it lacked last season. A big component of basketball is all in your head, so a mental focus is a must for any successful team.” Another new aspect for this year’s basketball team is their playing style. Rubin discuses that their offense will be more guard oriented, as they simply do not have the players to play other styles. For example, they lack a tall center, their tallest player (Danny Weiss) being only 6’4’’ which makes it difficult to be aggressive in the key. Their defense will remain the same but there will insistence on consistency, even when playing high power offenses. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on playing more intelligently as the margin for error is very slim. Specifically Rubin is focusing on a reduction in turnovers and an increase in shots. The team’s first game will be on December 8 against Highland Park. “No matter what happens this season, I want the players to take away with them a hard work ethic and a respect for everyone. Overall, I want to develop the young men into men,” concludes Rubin.

Oregon, Brigham Young University, and for the Utah Jazz. Andover’s athletes that attended can now be added to the list of hundreds of thousands that Sheppard has helped first hand, explains senior varsity football captain Michael Smith. “Bigger Faster Stronger taught me the proper technique to both prevent injury and maximize my workout, which translates to a better performance on the field,” says Smith. “It also showed that the phrase ‘Attitude is everything’ is really true.” “Bigger Faster Stronger exceeded my expectations,” says Dewald. “I was very pleased with the way they presented the material. I thought Friday night was a great message to all kids regardless if you play a sport or not and it will positively affect all athletic programs.”

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BASKETBALL: Preview

Reed prepares for a successful season

Support Barons and the Bottomless Toy Chest!Bring a new toy donation to the Andover Basketball game

Tuesday, December 8th and receive free admissionThe Bottomless Toy Chest, a charity based in Birmingham, collects toys and items to help occupy

the time of cancer-stricken children in the hospital for extend periods of time.

Please help the Barons support this great cause!

STUDENT PROFILE

sportsC4

TOTAL: $5310TOTAL: $1750

TOTAL:$345 TOTAL: $645

Each year, 456 Ando-ver students particpate in varsity sports. Stu-dent athletes and their parents are required to pay large sums to cover the expenses of their respective sports. From costly shoes and pads to basic booster fees and

$150 POC Skull Helmet $205 Oakley Crowbar Goggles $500 Spyder GS Race Suit $150 Hestra Padded Gloves $125 Scott Shin Guards$750 Fischer RC4 Race Boots

$250 Fischer RC4 Bindings$1200 Fischer Giant Sla-lom Skis $1200 Fischer Slalom Skis$555 Pine Knob Season Pass

$125 Booster Fee

$60 Bauer Helmet

$90 CCM Shoulder pads

$55 CCM Elbow Pads

$175 Warrior Pants

$90 Mission Shin Pads

$100 Bauer Skates

$100 Bauer gloves

$80 TPS Response Stick

$1000 Ice Time

$10 Speedo Cap

$15 Speedo Vanquisher Goggles

$160 Speedo FastSkin II

$225 Booster Fees

$30 Brine Phan-tom Soccer Ball

$20 Under Ar-mour Shinguards

$195 Adidas F50i TUNiT Shoes

$100 Booster Fees

TOTAL:$410

ice time, varsity sport ex-penses can quickly add up. At a minimum of ten pieces of expensive equipment just to com-pete, varsity skiing costs about fifteen times the

$180 Schutt Helmet

$15 Mouthguard

$130 Schutt Shoulder Pads

$25 Reebok Gloves

$35 McDavid Girdle

$25 lower-body pad set

$80 Nike Cleats

$155 Booster Fee

*Total costs do not include the BHSD $150 participation fee

Uncovering the hidden cost of pursuing your

passion

*

by Kyle Kavanagh and Bridget Sanders

cost of varsity soccer. But what about the oth-er sports? The Shield exposes the true cost of some of the most popular varsity sports played at Andover.

THE BREAKDOWN