Our paper does not shape the minds of our readers, the readers’ minds shape our paper

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CONSOLIDATION UPDATEQ&A with superintendant Rob Glass

KL: According to the Bond Passage vs. Failure – Description ofScenarios if the bond fails than only the most essential updates willbe made to current sights. These up-dates would take place Dec 2012 –Aug 2013. How would this disrupt the education atmosphere of ourreaders, who will be in the most critical years of their schoolcareers?

RG: We are still working through that. It should not be something theynotice. It should be done during the summer or after school hours.

KL: It states that buildings would “be kept serviceable” and that“renovations would continue as equip-ment fails.” Terms like theseclearly do represent the reputation of excellence the BHS pridesitself in. Do you ever feel as though there is a double standard amongcommunity members about the impor-tance of a good school district?

RG: Yes. That’s the reason that we feel the right thing to do is tofully upgrade the school into a new hy-brid, high-tech learningenvironment. The new plan is congru-ent with the high quality ofeducation that Bloomfield Hills is known for.

KL: No matter what happens with the bond proposal, it has beendetermined that athletics would be combined in the fall of 2013. Wouldteams move up in Division? Would coaching staff consist of membersfrom both schools? In addition, the fa-cility assessment does not callfor new athletic facilities. Both schools currently have gyms andfields sporting their own name, color and mascot. Would thesefacilities be replaced by new ones fea-turing the name, colors andmascot of Bloomfield Hills High School?

RG: I think it would move up in divi-sion, I’m planning on it anyway.Right now they’re going through the process of hiring a coaching staffconsisting of members from both schools. The athletic facilities wouldbe updated to match new mascots. We are also thinking about havingsports uniforms at both schools next year (2012-2013) sport patcheswith the new colors and mascot on them as a way to transition into oneidentity.

KL: There are plans to separate grade 9 from 10-12 in what would beknown as a “Freshman Academy.” How did the idea for this come aboutand why does the board feel this would be effective in harboring acontinued on page 12

Courtney EathorneNews Editor

Seniors Nate Cole, Erik Kelly and Tyler Roth celebrated Na-tional Signing Day by declaring commitment to play competitive sports at each of their respective universities. Nate Cole has com-mitted to play football at Grand Valley State University. Cole was eager to share his thoughts with Knight Life. “I am honored to not only play football but attend Grand Valley State University,” Cole said. “I look forward to playing on Saturdays next year in the fall. I have enjoyed my four years as a Lahser Knight and look forward to becoming a Laker.” Tyler Roth has committed to play football this upcoming fall at the University of Pennsylvania. Roth shares his thoughts on this once in a lifetime opportunity, “Four years ago I never thought that I would be playing football. I never thought that I would be attending the best business school in the nation, or competing in the Ivy League, or even walking in the foot-

Seniors sign university athletic commitmentsCourtney Eathorne Mike Lucci

World Language Week to take place this week.

Chicago showing Friday and Saturday night at 7 pm and Sunday at 2 pm

Mid-winter break to begin Thursday, Feb. 23 through the 26th.

MME/ACT week begins March 6th through the 8th.

Sadie’s2 0 1 2

CHICAGO: SCHOOL MUSICAL PREVIEW

A look at how Lahser High School recognizes February as a celebra-tion of African American history.Jacqueline ShandlerStaff Writer “Our Black History Mobile Mu-seum” was set up in the Lahser Media Center throughout the day on both February 14th and 15th to educate students about the history of African Americans. The exhibit contains over 500 artifacts collected from a span of over two hundred years. Museum curator, Fred Staffold, has spent the last three years traveling to various locations to educate young adults about the ac-complishments of notable black citi-zens. He has been collecting artifacts, tracing black history from slavery to the election of Barrack Obama, his entire life and continues to search for

more every day. Staffold recently told Knight Life, “I have a passion for edu-cating others about the great contribu-tions of African Americans because unfortunately, many of our achieve-ments are not in the history books.” Staffold finds it gratifying to educate people about America’s black history and wants to broaden awareness of African American progress through-out history. “Many people do not go to museums anymore, so I bring the museum to all of you.” Staffold con-tinues, “Hopefully down the line, there will not be a need for me to educate anymore, because the curriculum will be there.” Staffold was inspired to share his knowledge of black history by his

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me the op-portunity to reconnect with my heritage.”

“It makes me feel more proud to be a black Ameri-can.”

“We get to see what major con-tributions were made in the past that are worth being recog-nized.”

Nate Cole, Erik Kelly and Tyler Roth declare their plans to play college-level sports

steps of Benjamin Franklin.” Roth’s decision was not solely based on ath-letics but UPenn’s history of academic excellence that is second to none. “As far as my decision, it was an easy choice. I decided on Penn because it is a school that has everything I am look-ing for.” Roth continued, “The football program is unparalleled in the Ivy League. Academically, the Wharton School of Business is the best in the nation. Penn offered me far more than any other school could.” Roth is sure to not only achieve in the classroom but on the playing field, as well. Varsity Football Coach Dan Loria

discussed Cole’s and Roth’s accomplish-ments. “Tyler and Nate made it a goal, and never wavered from it. Their commitment and dedication is second to nobody, and I know I have not had anyone in the past 11 years out-work them,” Loria said. “Grand Valley and the University of Penn-sylvania are not only gaining great football players, but they gain-ing young men of high character with excep-

tional leadership skills.” Erik Kelly has committed to play soccer next year at Western Michigan University. Kelly expressed pride in his accomplishments and an eagerness to perform for his new university, “I am excited for the opportunity to call myself a Bronco.” Kelly said. “I have enjoyed my time as a Lahser Knight and look forward to great memories in the days ahead.” All three athletes should be ex-tremely proud of their accomplish-ments and the Knight Life wishes them the best of luck next year.

Finney High School visits Knight Life’s news roomErin AntonishenNews Editor

To students at Detroit’s Finney High School, publishing a newspaper was a foreign idea. On Wednesday January 16th 2012, a select group of Finney’s students stepped out of their comfort zone to spend the day shadowing the Knight Life staff in the world of jour-nalism. To the Lahser newspaper staff,

this was more than a unique oppor-tunity to reach out to the community. Serving as a model for Finney High School’s upcoming newspaper, Knight Life was honored to extend a helping hand. In collaboration with non-profit organization Beyond Basics, Finney High School appeared eager to em-brace this opportunity. Beyond Basics is a non-profit

organization that strives to improve the literacy of students within differ-ent impoverished neighborhoods of Detroit. Established in 1999, Beyond Basics has expanded notably and, as of now, has over 1,500 volunteers along with 25 staff members who work to “eradicate illiteracy” within four Detroit Public Schools.Continued on page 12

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parents, who endured many struggles during the Civil Rights Movement. “My mother marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was arrested dur-ing the Civil Rights Movement.” February is the month to appre-ciate black history and how it has shaped American today. But in reality, much more than a month is needed to celebrate the progress that America has made from past discrimination in this country. Time is distancing pres-ent Americans from the days of the Civil Rights Movement and that is why it is so important for people like Fred Staffold to continue his noble work educating Americans about the people and events that have molded what the United States is today.

February 2012 www.lahserknightlife.com Issue 3

R E C O G N I Z I N G H I S T O R Y

OPINION

KnightLifeStaff

Editors in Chief Michael Gawlik Julia Long

Editors Erin Antonishen Courtney Eathorne Reilly Manz Chace Lauring

StaffHayley Browning Austin Burchill Ellyce Ferguson Takkeia Hall Jacobi Johnson Chace Lauring Julia Lee Mike Lucci Reilly Manz Shannon

McAvoy Kevin Mezey Ryan Moonka Annie Reed Nayla Sater Jacqueline Shandler Sarah Thomas Matt Webster Taylor Wildman

February 2012 2

Advisor Mrs. Thav

Contact usknightlifenewspaper@gmail.com On Twitter: @lahser_news

We all remember being told by our el-ementary school teachers that we could do anything we put our minds to. If we applied ourselves, we could become doc-tors. We could play in the NFL if we put in hard work and dedication. We could even walk on the moon if we really want-ed. This message of encouragement is one we’ve heard all though life and one we’ve clung to since adolescence, yet as many of us prepare to take our first steps out of the Bloomfield Bubble in the com-ing years, the reality of what we can and cannot do casts doubt upon the dreams we hold of the future.

All our lives we’ve been in pursuit of the high expectations set for us at birth. We live in a place where it’s uncommon to find someone who doesn’t hope to be spectacular in one way or another, which, in actuality, isn’t really such a bad thing. Aspirations lead to hard work, which, in turn, may lead to success.

Unfortunately, our tiny slice of the world is one which also fosters in us un-realistic desires and expectations. Quite frankly, not one of us will reach every single goal we’ve set for ourselves. Fall-ing short is human nature. What’s more important is learning to deal with the dis-appointments we’ve experienced and de-cide whether or not they are worth con-quering.

Words we hear from mentors and guides hardly put at ease the anxiety we feel when faced with the world. The future is scary, and the older we get the more we seem to see it as a place of fail-ure rather than a place of success. Still, it’s important to hold on to the lessons we’ve learned throughout life and the people who have taught us them. With-out that, we really would have no hope.

We should be grateful for having the opportunities Bloomfield has presented us, but we should also be cautious when approaching the future. In real life, things won’t come as easily as they do here. It may be hard to imagine a world where anything and everything isn’t pos-sible, but we had better get used to it; chances are we’ll be stuck there for the rest of our lives.

By Michael GawlikOpinion Editor

Fostering False Hope

Want to advance your daughter’s age and make her look thirty, when she’s actu-ally three? If so, glitz pageants are the way to go. But while some may say that forc-ing young girls to get hairdos, spray tans and ball gowns is against better judgement, the problem of Toddlers and Tiaras is one much deeper. To force a child to dress up and hide their true personalities is simply disturbing.

Jr. Suzanne Miller feels that pageants

are unhealthy and simply wrong for girls to participate in at such a young age.

“I am not a fan of the show, or any other show that makes children advance their age without living their childhood,” she says. “The way they look, talk and act is all re-hearsed. The talents may be real because they are perfect by practice, but this is the age where kids should be one hundred per-cent natural, running around outside rather than in beauty contests.”

Pageant mothers have been known to take the competition to extremes. Toddlers and Tiaras demonstrate these moments,

such as when one mother told her daughter “In magazines, TV, and in everything you look at and see, you have to be beautiful.”

In a world were beauty is perceived as being so important, children have started to worry about the way they look at younger and younger ages. This is especially true for young girls in pageants. The look and the act is worth everything. To these girls, the message has always been that they must be perfect to win.

Lahser’s social worker, Mr Woodberg, worries about the effect pageants and be-ing centered on the looks of a person has

on young girls. “I absolutely do not think this is a

healthy thing. Children at that age tend to be very self-conscious and their insecu-rities heighten their anxiety about these types of things.”

Before bleaching their child’s teeth, painting their faces and insisting that they “shake their booty,” (courtesy of a pageant mom), parents should take a deep breath and realize the harm they are doing them. Let kids stick their face in a cake on their third birthday instead of flaunting them-selves on-stage. Let kids be kids.

By Annie ReedStaff Writer

Tiaras: too much for toddlers

Newt Gingrich has truly done it all. From shutting down the gov-ernment to cheating on not one but two wives, he has exceeded all expecta-tions held for American politicians. And while most with such a tumul-tuous track record would be humbled into retire-ment, Newt has decided that he wants more. He wants to make a run for the White House.

The fact that Gingrich has even been able to make it this far is a great representation of Amer-ica’s minute attention span. Less than 15 years ago Gingrich was a far cry from a presidential candidate; rather he was the only Speaker of the House guilty of ethics charges and a disgrace to both his party and Congress as a whole. However, his radical ideas have taken the Republican Presidential Race by storm and, frighten-ingly enough, he actually has a chance of winning the nomination.

That still doesn’t mean that he should. While no Republican candidate has fared well in the race, Gingrich has been, by far, the most out of line. His extreme right winged ideas include a disastrous tax cut proposal (which will increase the federal deficit) and a continuation of the Unit-ed States’ outrageous military spending (which is more than six times the amount of China, the second most spending coun-try in the world).

Among Gingrich’s most enlightened ideas is that of obliterating child labor

laws. Gingrich, who lives a cushy life in one of Virginia’s wealthiest cities and who received an elite education at Emory Uni-versity, believes that poor children living in the projects should work as janitors. The goal of this plan to instill a work ethic in these individuals who so clearly lack the intrinsic moral values of Newt. He has also stated that these children’s single mothers, all of whom he is familiar with, are bad role models.

This plan, targeted primarily at African Americans, makes Gingrich’s campaign even more disturbing. The fact that an openly racist man is running for president is fundamentally disgusting, especially considering 2008’s monumental election.

Gingrich’s extreme bigotry opens even more questions of his morality. The man has destroyed two marriages, as well as dis-cuss terms of divorce with his wife while

she was in a hospital bed. And, according to ex-wife Marianne Ginther, he wanted an open marriage (AKA an excuse to cheat on her without fear of his political career taking a hit). Even more ironic is the fact that Gingrich lead the impeachment crusade against his fel-low adulterer Bill Clin-ton. Apparently, it’s al-right for Newt to have had two affairs but it’s unacceptable that Clin-ton had one.

Gingrich has also criticized President Obama for respecting every world religion other than “our reli-gion.” This makes a lot of sense when you

consider how incredibly homogenous of a nation America is. This country clearly is made up of people of only one religion, and the idea of respecting those different from ourselves is simply ludicris.

The fact that Gingrich feels as though he can be a judge of religious morality and practice after the his countless scandels is truly laughable. Honestly, who does this guy think he is?

With a political record as clean as a pub-lic toilet and morals comparable to those of swine, Newt Gingrich’s campaign for pres-ident is more than concerning; it’s terrify-ing. The chance of him winning the elec-tion is small, but that’s only cold comfort in the face of what America may become under his rule. It will be a nation where the rich triumph over the poor, a nation of a backwards American Dream. It will be a nation of Newt.

A NATION OF NEWTBy Michael GawlikOpinion Editor

Gingrich’s campaign and its success should both be major causes for concern.

GINGRICHby the numbers DAYS

for which the gov-ernment was shut down by Gingrich. THOUSAND

Personal tax cut Gin-grich would receive from his own plan. PERCENT

Approval rat-ing of Gingrich in 1997.

OPINION

Blue Ivy? Sounds like a pet name to most, but to Jay-Z and Beyonce, it’s the perfect name for their little princess. Born on January 7, baby Blue is already one rich little girl, complete with famous Aunties Lady Gaga and Rihanna and a feature on daddy’s hit single “Glory”. It shouldn’t be long before Manhattan’s newest arrival rules the nation as the Princess of Hip-Hop.

Despite the stupidity of the name, some people have been able to let go of the fact how weird it is given that it has sentimental meaning behind it.

“The Blue Print” was one of Jay-Z’s biggest albums, and “IV” which is four in Roman Numerals is a lucky number for both her parents. Both Jay and Beyonce were born on the fourth of a month, mar-ried on April 4, and Beyonce’s latest album is called “4”.

Celebs in tinsel town are no stranger to naming their kids what we will deem weird. The question is, why? One would assume that the reason is a yearning to be unique in the land of the fake and fortunate. Take Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay Frontman Chris Martin, who named their first child, Apple. Yes, apple like the fruit you pick off of a tree and eat. When Paltrow went on Oprah in 2004, the outspoken talk show host asked her the meaning behind her daughter’s strange moniker. Paltrow was not completely able to answer the question, only to muster out “Her daddy thought that if she was a girl, she would need a sweet and wholesome name.” She succeeded in being wholesome, but the name is not so sweet.

Every few months, tabloid magazines blare the headlines of some Hollywood starlet and their knocked up lover. The first thing we ask is “what on Earth are they go-ing to name this poor child?” For $3.99, we are making harsh valedictions about a

child that’s not even our own. Whatever they decide to name their child will illicit a reaction, whether it’s something normal like “Emily” or something completely bi-zarre like “Erscilla”.

The American public has some leeway to be a little critical about what celebrities name their kids. After all, it’s us who have to read about them from the time they are born up until they get their first starring role in a movie. These kids are the stars of tomorrow, and what better way to be noticed than by having the name of a tropical bird?

Still, we tend to have a habit of butting in on issues in which we really have no business. Who cares if a celebrity’s baby is named after a vegeta-ble? Whether named Blue Ivy or Apple, a baby should be judged on criteria far higher than the name it was given.

By Jazmynn CroskeyStaff Writer

Unique- or ridiculous?Once quirky and adorable, celebrity baby names have become more bizarre than unorthodox.

Call me nuts, but I think it is fair-ly safe to say that no Lahser students get Botox, party on the Jersey Shore or find their “soul mate’ out of fifteen pre-chosen candidates. Still, that does not mean that Bloomfield Hills is immune to the reality TV “illness” sweeping the nation. From coast to coast, people across the have been sucked into the mess of unrealistic living called reality TV.

The idea of living vicariously through our children isn’t a concept foreign to most Americans. Howev-er, soon it may be more common for people to live vicariously through their favorite reality TV stars.

People have become so involved with reality television that it seems we may be turning into the people we watch everyday. Unique to our time, there are new mental illness-es evolving in which people feel as though they are in a reality TV show. Reality television is thought to be, by many psychiatrists, shaping the delusions of the mentally ill. Doctors Joel and Ian Gold have identified these delusions.

Reality TV isn’t the only thing behind these crazy behaviors; other dramas like Gossip Girl are taking the high school world by storm. “XOXO” certainly strikes a familiar chord with many students on Twitter. Remember @Bhillgossipgirl? That’s right; stop thinking these things don’t happen in Bloomfield Hills.

Reality TV should merely be a fun guilty pleasure, however it recently has taken up

More Real than RealityReality TV’s change from a guilty pleasure to a lifestyle is cause for concern. By Annie ReedStaff Writer

OF BLOOMFIELD HILLS

a whole new meaning. After thinking about television, it becomes easy to see some characters shine not only on screen but also in our peers. It’s time we stop idolizing the Snookis and Kardashians of the world and begin living our own lives. Watch the stars, be entertained by them, but turn into them? Absolutely not.

Jrs. Samantha Capello and Katelyn Atkinson, Srs. Megan Sweet and Candice Nagia, Fr. Olivia Keener and Elizabeth Schults

It appeared to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Several fren-zied shoppers were running around the store in search of the perfect gifts. No, this was not Black Friday or the holiday season, the time has come again for Val-entines Day, and masses of people are on a mission to locate the ideal present for their loved one.

Valentine’s Day recent visit had l o v e r s e v e r y -w h e r e r u s h -ing to stores to buy their loved ones candy, flow-ers, and greet-ing cards. How-ever, many have ordained the ‘holiday’ a product of Hallmark’s brilliant marketing strategy, designed to pressure men and wom-en across the world to purchase cards, candy and trinkets.

But how did this once Catholic Church sanctioned holiday evolve into one of the largest annu-al boosts in the economy?

Starting back in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius in-formed his Roman con-gregation that February 14th would be deemed Val-entine’s Day to honor the mar-tyred St. Valentine.

Though many legends exist about the cause of Valentine’s martyrdom, the most popular assumes that Valentine, a Roman priest, denied the emperor’s re-quest to abolish marriage in favor of creating more dedicated soldiers. Val-entine continued to per-form marriages on young couples in secret, and for this he was jailed and possibly killed.

While the holiday was originally religious in nature, in present day it has taken on a new meaning. The day has

now morphed into one where many men and women are pouring their money into buying flowers, candy, and greeting cards. Many people today make the holiday about showering their loved ones with several presents, rather than honoring St. Valentine.

Instead of attending church in respect for the priest who fought for love, the Hallmark companies have taken a capi-talist approach to the holiday. Valentine’s is a day which draws

the attention of a major-

ity of the p u b l i c by their adver-t i s e -m e n t s

a n d sales in

gifts dur-ing this

time. Their m a r k e t i n g

skills have cleverly brainwashed many

Americans into believing that in order to express your

love for someone, you must buy them gifts. It is a shame that a holiday that should

be devoted to love has now become a materialistic day where love

is proven by presents. Sure, it’s nice to be

showered in presents, but they really only go so far. Shiny jewelry and

delicious chocolates are great and all, but it’s much

better to just know that some-one loves you. The gesture is

chivalrous, but in all honesty, a little bit unnecessary.

Love, and Valentine’s Day, should be about caring

for your significant oth-er rather than spoiling them. Money and gifts does not equal love, or at

least they shouldn’t. They say love is the most pow-

erful force in the world, but modern Valentine’s Day suggests

something different; money may just have become more important to Ameri-cans than love.

A loveless affairHallmark Holiday tricks lovers into believing that chocolates and flow-ers are the true signs of affection.

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By Nayla SaterStaff Writer

Hallmark makes $120 million every

year from Valentine’s Day

sales.

Fr. Alana Peters sits with Valentine’s balloons and trinkets.

Americans estimated to have spent $17.6 billion on their Val-

entines in 2012.

ARTS

Take Care is no typical rap album. Unlike other compilations, Drake’s album contained songs with deep meaning and heart-melt-ing motifs of tribulation and depression. Take Care is essentially the ‘dark’ version of his previous Thank Me Later album. Not only does it feature a new low-key kind of element, it also includes some im-pressive guest artists such as Rihanna, Li’l Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The tunes on the album are catchy; they’re the kind that make you want to nod your head to the beats. This album showcases how emotional Drake can be when he expresses his feeling through his lyrics. One of the album’s most famous lines is from the song “The Motto”: “You only live once…that’s the motto!”

DRAKE - TAKE CAREBy Kyah KitchenStaff Writer

Over the past few years, women have ruled the American music scene. British newcomer Ellie Goulding is no exception. Although she’s relatively ‘underground,’ Goulding isn’t completely invisible to the press. She has appeared as the musical guest on the popular late-night television shows Jimmy Kimmel and Saturday Night Live, and appeared as the musical guest at Prince William and Kate’s wedding last spring. Goulding’s debut album Lights peaked at number one in the UK, boasting multiple hit singles. Dance tunes “Lights” and “Starry Eyed’ are perfect for partying, while “The Writer” and “Your Song” are tender, cordial ballads. Over all, the sparkling chanteuse’s debut album has proven to be a major success.

ELLIE GOULDING - LIGHTSBy Jazmynn CroskeyFeature Editor

MODEL BEHAVIOR Alora

SMITH

By Mollie Fox Staff Writer

Strutting down the runway in $30,000 dollar wedding gowns, traveling from coast to coast, and constantly going to audi-tions have become nor-mal occurrences in Alora Smith’s hectic life. Ever since the sopho-more attended the Young Actors Camp (YAC) dur-ing the summer before sixth grade, acting and modeling have been her passions. With the sup-port of her parents, Smith has been able to pursue her dreams. In addition to being an up-and-coming model and actress, Smith is a typical high school stu-

dent. Juggling school, traveling, and social life has become a circus act. “Because I miss so much school [because of model-ing and acting], it’s a lot to deal with,” claims Smith. The teenage runway star is always on the move. She goes to Chicago al-most monthly. “I usually only stay for a couple of minutes or hours to go to auditions; then I come home,” Smith says, “But if I book some-thing out there, I will stay for a couple of days.” In March, Smith will be in Los Angeles for as long as a month. This trip is very important, she explains.“I will be taking the CHSPE test, which is the

California proficiency exam.” She elaborates that it qualifies her to be able to work longer hours and is a must for any serious actor. At the moment, Smith is shooting a television show called Lee Martin’s Midnight Hour, a series of scary stories. She is also busy with photo shoots for Le Salon Bridal Bou-tique, as well as with other photographers. The modeling and act-ing businesses are dog-eat-dog worlds, but they’re no match for Smith’s determined attitude. “If you want it enough, then never let rejection get in your way. You have to be committed enough, or you won’t make it!”

Q & AWITH

LOCALMUSICIANS

NewlySigned!

Lahser’s Own!

Q: Describe your musical style, influences, etcetera.A: Well, I make music in the small world of breakcore and IDM (Intelligent Dance Music.) Basically, my goal when I make this kind of music is to pack a big punch in many different areas of the sound, such as having really hard and fast drum beats going on while a massive sounding melody is playing, to satisfy the mind and soul. Big influences of mine are Venetian Snares, Aphex Twin, Wisp, Orbital, Autechre and countless others.

Q: How did you get into music?A: I started listening to Electronic music when I decided to buy the album “In Sides” by Orbital when I was 13 years old. That album has changed my life and had gotten me hooked on music. It’s amazing what $4.99 did to my life...

Q: How did you end up getting signed to a record label?A: I just started making music on my own, and kept messing around with different programs, different styles, just kept at it for years until I finally came to find a style that I’d like to call my own. When I started to become happy with more and more of the songs I was making, I sent in my first demo to a net label called Braincore Recordings under the alias “Zwaken.” They decided they liked what they heard, and then mastered my works and released my EP, “Just a Noise Tank.”

Q: Which instruments do you play? What are your favorites and why?A: I used to play drums and saxophone, both of which I’ve given up to just compose music. Although I got a lot of satisfaction out of playing both of those instruments, there’s nothing like getting out my midi controller and making full pieces of art on my computer.

Q: Any advice for aspiring musicians?A: You can only really make it if you love it, and you gotta love it to death. Keep creating, keep practicing, keep listening and keep loving it.

Q: Describe your musical style, influences, etc.A: Recently, my style has veered towards pop/funk and soul music with some electronic influence as well. My influences include The Reign of Kindo, who create a wonderful blend of jazz and modern alternative; soul singers such as James Morrison and Michael Grimm, multi-instrumental-ist greats like Giulio Carmassi, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine, Andrew Bird, Stevie Wonder, and Scott Hansen of Tycho.

Q: How did you get into music?A: I started playing music when I picked up the violin in 4th grade. I picked it up faster than expected, and started taking lessons soon after.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to, and why?A: I’ve been drawn to a lot of very different styles of music lately, including funk, jazz, alternative, indie, folk, and downtempo. I don’t think I could specify exactly why I like the music I listen to. Everyone has their own take on what music sounds good to their ears. That’s one of the best parts of meeting new musicians: they may have completely different views on the same music.

Q: Which instruments do you play? Which are your favorites? Why? A: I’ve been playing for a little over 7 ½ years now. I started with violin, and then picked up guitar in 7th grade. More recently, I’ve started playing the drums, singing, and playing the piano. I can also play bass and a few other string instruments. My favorites would have to be singing, guitar and drums. If I ever come home stressed it’s fantastic to be able to bang on the drums for a few hours and one of my favorite things to do in the summer is hit one of the downtown areas near Lahser like Birmingham or Royal Oak and play guitar and sing for people passing by.

Q: Any tips for aspiring musicians?A: It’s understood that practice is essential to be a good musician, but how you practice is what separates a good musician from a great one. If you keep playing the same music over, you’ll never improve, but if you create a disciplined and progressing practice schedule with goals laid out for your-self you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can improve.

By Julia LongEditor-in-Chief & Arts Editor

JOhN “ZwAkeN”

GrOLeAU

MAx

MOrrISON

* Alora has had hundreds of hours of profes-sional training*Alora’s film experience in-cludes Approach-ing Midnight and Rob Reiner’s Flipped*Alora toured the set of Wizards of Waverly Place with the stars of the show

MUSICREVIEWS

February 2012

4

LIFE February 2012

German exchange student Leonard Dierich came to the United States to master the language. He will leave with a profound sense of cultural wealth.

Dietrich, a sophomore, was originally born in Thailand, but was adopted when he was one by a German family. This year, Dietrich is not spending all day in a classroom in Germany. Instead, he’s taking classes here at Lahser.

Dietrich participates in a foreign exchange program called Youth For Understanding (YFU). Since arriving in Bloomfield Hills, Dietrich has embraced the American culture. He lives with Soph. Elizabeth Baxter and her family, who have learned as much from him as he has from them. “Hosting a foreign exchange student is just like having an extra person living in the house,” said Baxter. “But he adapted really well to our family so it’s just like having an extra family member around.”

Though Dietrich recognizes similarities between American and German lifestyles, he notes that there are slight cultural differences. For example, “in Germany, they use one cup for all of their meals. Here they get a new cup to drink out of every time they eat” he says.

Dietrich has enjoyed experiencing the day-to-day life of an American student inside the classroom. All foreign exchange students are required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) taught by Mrs. Jessica Tesca. “I come in contact with a lot of different cultures. People are different because of their cultures. Per-sonalities are different – foreign exchange students are usually very nice and very polite” Tesca states.

Dietrich notes that the experience has allowed him to embrace a sense of cultural awareness that he hopes to nurture throughout his life. “At first, I wanted to be a foreign exchange student to improve my English, but now it’s more about the cultural experience and all of the differences,” explained Dietrich.

Spotlight on the Foreign ExperienceBy: Hayley BrowningStaff Writer

The students in the WBFH radio staff class boarded into vans on the morning of December 16 to visit Clear Channel radio station, and what a way to kick off winter break!

Clear Channel contains several sta-tions in Detroit including “Detroit’s Hit Music” Channel 95.5, “Fresh” 100.3, “The D” 106.7, and “The Mix” 92.3. Here, students had the opportu-nity to walk though the building and observe studios of a few morning shows while the disk jockeys were live on air. They talked to the professional DJ’s and were told humorous and even inspirational stories. Also, the students were given advice about future career plans in the broadcasting field and the most effective steps to take. However, the most memorable part of the trip for the was being able to sit in on the Mojo in the Morning show as Mojo, Shan-non, and Spike discussed issues live on air.

Pete Bowers, WBFH teacher and manager of the Biff radio station said, “I was thrilled when I found out they had invited us to come see their show.

Also, I am thankful to Mojo, Spike, and Shannon for allowing us to come into the studio.” Bowers continued, “We had a large group and sometimes radio hosts are protective of their

space, but allowing us to come in and talking to us about careers and broad-casting definitely made my day.”

The students met Mojo, Shannon, and Spike, and were able to talk to them about the field, while asking questions that would benefit their fu-

Junior Michael Blumenthal talks to Mojo about running a radio station.

Andover students watch Spike run the show.

met Mojo in the MorningBy: Jacqueline Shandler Staff Writer

ture job searches. More so, they observed the professionals as they performed their jobs and had a great time listening to a phone scam air live. They were a live audience for the show and constant-ly laughed and clapped after every seg-ment. Sean S h e p a r d , a junior at Lahser and a current staffer on WBFH ra-dio, said, “I loved the experience of meeting Mojo and my favor-ite part was l i s t e n i n g to the hi-larious phone scam that we all got to hear first-hand. I was really impressed and glad they let us into the station to be our own live audience.”

The radio students heard Shannon’s “Dirty on the Thirty” and what the three hosts thought of the latest entertainment

news and what is going on locally in Detroit. Also, Spike talked to the stu-dents about colleges and asked the ra-dio staffers about what they are planned on doing after high school.

Bowers commented, “Of all the field trips the Biff has taken over my 35 years, that was truly one of the best.” The WBFH sta-tion manager adds, “Mojo in the Morning is the number one morn-ing show, especially for young people in De-troit, and to be able to go in and watch them perform their show was a big thrill.”

Lastly, the trip was a success due to the stu-dent-mentor relation-

ship that was formed that morning. The enjoyed not only meeting the Mojo in

the Morning crew, but also standing in the studio as the morning show aired live. This field trip is one unlikely to be forgotten by the radio students who gained role models from their short, but memorable visit to Clear Channel.

Lahser students had the opportunity to travel around the world this week as various cultures were showcased in the annual World Language Week celebration. This year, from February 14th-17th, students wandered between Foreign Lan-guage rooms tasting all different kinds of food, and getting a slice of cul-ture in each and every bite. Students in the lower level languages were asked to bring in ethnic foods based on their cur-rent language course. Soph. Paul Pal, who takes German 200, planned to bring German cookies to the event. “I think World

Language Week gives students an amazing opportunity to see the cultures of other languages” said Pal. Students in higher levels brought in foods influenced by their own heritage, which allowed for a much wider variety of cul-tural representation. Junior Kevin Barnett, who is in Spanish 400, brought in Salsa Roja and tortilla chips for World Language Week. Barnett thinks that “[World Lan-guage Week] is a great way to see other cultures and what kind of food they eat.” Aside from the delicious food, Lahser will also be holding its first Global Professional Speaker Series in the auditorium, where students will be able to meet and interact with people who have successful international careers, including Richard Corson, Di-rector at the U.S Department of Commerce. Chinese teacher Kar-

World Language Week brings multiple worlds togetherBy: Kevin MezeyStaff Writer

What aspects of Lahser life are so intriguing to you?“The school spirit and all the sports”-Carlotta Kerscher , Germany

What do you miss about your home country?“The food, my family, and mostly the weather! Michi-gan weather is crazy!” -Ana Carvajal

What is the biggest differ-ence between here and your home country?“The food!” -Sol Torres, Argentina

When

en Twomey provided more back-ground on World Language Week and its basic goals. Twomey states, “World Language Week gives students an opportunity to see what language building can give them in terms of interna-tional jobs.” Twomey continues, “[World Language Week] does not emphasize history, but culture and international opportunities.” Students should take advan-tage of World Language Week each year and all it has to offer. Not only will teens get a taste of some of the world’s most deli-cious treats, but they will be ex-posed to a plethora of different cultures and customs. Still, to students seeking more than cul-tural awareness, Lahser teens will also be able to enjoy the Global Professional Speaker Series and meet people with international jobs that could possibly influence their career paths in the future.

Exchange students reflect on life at LHS

17 year old Kintara Yamashiro shares information about his home country Japan.

Classes enjoy multicultural foods.

5

February 2012

Lahser Alumni Crashes SuperbowlBy: Mike LucciStaff Writer

LIFE

Green water

Reduce, reuse, recycle is the fad that is quickly sweeping the nation. Lahser High School’s very own Sr. Ana Fernandez is bringing aware-ness to the issue of the harmful ef-fects of plastic water bottles to our community. Fernandez is boycot-ting the sale of disposable plastic water bottles in our school through the promotion of her four-dollar stainless steel water bottles. The bottles are eco-friendly and read ‘I am not plastic’. Fernandez believes water is a natural resource that each and every human has the right to, but we also have a responsibility to protect our environment. Fernandez is encour-aging members of our community to reduce the use of disposable plastic water bottles and to start us-ing reusable bottles. “It is important for people to know that I am only discouraging the disposable plastic water bot-

tles,” says Fernandez. “The reusable plastic ones are not bad.” Fernan-dez believes that the issue humans cause with plastic water bottles is reversible and easy to fix. “There are dangerous chemicals in plastic disposable water bottles that can do some major damage to the environ-ment and our bodies,” she says. On average, bottled water com-panies make $50 billion a year. Through some calculations, Fernan-dez and fellow Sr. Lindsey Fergu-son figured that $50 billion a year could buy 10 NFL teams at 1 billion dollars each, a Ferretti 630 yacht, five one million dollar houses, 20 thousand 250,000 dollar homes, one million iPads, and still have 34,493,100,000 dollars remaining. Fernandez, with the help of Jr. Alana O’Mara, will, in the near future, begin to inform students of other problems with our school cafeteria including the sale of dis-

posable plastic water bottles, Styrofoam trays, and the lack of recycling programs. Through this information session, Fernandez and O’Mara hope to fix these issues throughout Lahser High School. The activist plans on taking her love for the environment to college and hopefully making a career out of it. “I want to go to either Alma or Northern,” she says. “and I would like to study environmental studies and sustainability.” Fernandez is slowly but surely becoming an environmentalist and encouraging the purity of our pre-cious planet Earth. Every little bit can make a difference, so Ana Fernandez is fostering the students of Lahser High School to do what they can to keep our Earth clean. A great way to start is by joining her boycott of disposable plastic water bottles.

how to go green! • Use reusable water

bottles.

• Use reusable bags when grocery shop-ping.

• Turn off the TV, lights, and water when you’re done using them.

• Recycle as much as possible.

• Drive the speed limit to reduce pollution.

Nate Daniels, Lahser grad 2003, and his fellow team mem-bers debate their director Kevin Wilson’s next big idea. They came so close to winning last year and won’t be denied thisyear. As the hours pass by, they examine each idea carefully, ana-lyzing every detail. After hours of reviewing and critiquing, Sling Baby was born. They are sure to beat out thousands ofother entries in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Commercial Con-test 2012. Daniels is one of 40 people who helped create Sling Baby, one of two winners in this year’s Dori-tos Crash the Super Bowl Contest. On February 5th, Super Sunday, Sling Baby was seen in over 113 million households worldwide. “Doritos does this every year and our team came re-ally close last year to making it to the Super Bowl, but we fell short. We obviously want to win the $1,000,000grand prize and everything that comes with it,” Daniels stated. On February 7th, at 10 PM EST, they accomplished that goal. After mil-lions of fans voted via Facebook, Sling Baby took homethe money. One million dollars was awarded after being voted top

ad on the U.S.A. Today’s ad meter. Dan- iels was elated to share the news with Knight Life, “We’re ecstatic, over- whelmed, shocked and in awe that against all odds, against all these huge corporations spending tons ofmoney, that our Sling Baby team was able to put together a campaign to take down the Goliaths of the advertising indus- try.” Their commercial,

Sling Baby, features a young boy who greed-

ily possesses a Doritos bag which he will

not let his grandmother and baby brother take away. His grandmother has otherideas though. With the help of her grandson, baby Jonah, the two cre-ate a plan to snatch theDoritos.

The commercial is a master-piece! Shot on the state of the art RED camera, its quality is compara-ble to Hollywood blockbusters. The star of the commercial, Baby Jonah, had some help making his adven-turous flight through the air. “Our special effects guy, Justin Folk, put the touches on that. We filmed the baby against a green screen and they added a lens flare as he was moving,” Daniels said. “My job was to analyze and look at things from a marketing perspec-tive because that was mymajor and background,” Daniels added. Daniel’s marketing skills

spawned from his love of film in high school. “I’ve always loved movies and it wasn’t

until I took a video production class with Doc (Donna Learmont)

that I really discovered my gift and passion,” Daniels continued. “I took seven semesters of video

classes while at Lahser. I could never have done it without Doc

and the resources the school district had provided for us.” Daniels later attended Michi-

gan State University and majored in marketing. Doc Learmont was not at all surprised to hear the news of her alumni’s success. “Nate is not only one of the nicest guys you could meet, but he is one of the

hardest working too,” she com-mented. Nate’s achievements do not stop here but stretch across the silver screen in several hit movies. “I worked at Relativity Media, located in Los Angeles, and specialized in digital marketing on campaigns like Shark Night 3D, Immortals, Limit-

less and even Haywire, which is coming out soon,” he stated. His work has also landed him a job at Red Hour Films, Ben Stiller’s pro-duction company, and he is current-ly working with them to produce an upcoming comedy film. Principal Charlie Hollerith said, “It is great to see a Lahser alumni achieve such a high level ofsuccess. Hopefully, Nate’s efforts inspire our students to follow their passion after high school.”Here’s to his victory and congratu-lations to Lahser Alum Nathan Dan-iels for being a part of history.

Lahser Alumni Nate Daniels (right) and director Kevin Wilson

6

By Shannon McAvoy

Ana Fernandez

Girls ask theGuys

SADIES 2012

SPORTSKnights On IceBy Ryan Moonka Staff Writer

Cara Schooley’s tenacity, her hard work and determination weren’t enough to prepare her for Gothenburg. Practicing multiple days a week, taking hours of bal-let lessons to improve her finesse couldn’t triumph the hastiness, the unexpectedness of her entry into the Leon Lurje Trophy, a competition young synchronized ice skat-ers dream of competing in.

“It was a spur of the moment feeling”, Schooley explained. Her team’s entry into the competition was the result of them scoring top two nationally, yet they had only a month to prepare for the inter-national tournament. Each of the young skaters on Schooley’s team, Evolution, was filled to the brim with mixed emo-tions: eagerness, anxiety, excitement and the occasional stomach full of butterflies- feelings that never felt so intense to these maturing ice-skaters

That was 8th grade. But Schooley still remembers the tournament perfectly, still remembers her team scoring seventh out of seventeen. And she still says the Leon Lurje Trophy was the one tournament that has pushed her the farthest and influenced

her the most to exceed her expectations.

Schooley, who is now a senior at Lahser, is a very committed ice-skater. Her ice-skating started off as just a way to have fun with a friend. “I’ve been skating for about 15 years”, she said, the past eight or nine of which have been competitive skating. She described how, “My friend and I thought it would be fun when we were little. Our parents signed us up, and I’ve just stuck with it.” She is primarily involved in synchronized ice-skating, which involves

multiple skaters moving as a single, fluid group.

Over the years, her talents have blos-somed, mostly due to her demanding schedule. Schooley noted, “I’m on the ice for about two and a half hours and I have ballet and workouts” She practices 6 days a week, jokingly acknowledging, “At least I have Saturdays off.” Her focus on the sport doesn’t mask her affable personality though, which landed her on the Home-coming Court her senior year.

She now skates for the Crystallettes, a team based out of the Dearborn Figure Skating Club. Together, they travel the United States and the world, competing in very competitive tournaments. “I have about six competitions a season. I’ve trav-eled to a lot of places nationally, like Texas and California and Boston.” She contin-ued, “Internationally, I’ve been to Italy and Sweden and Germany, and I’m going to Switzerland.” But still, she notes that the Leon Lurje Trophy was the epitome of her skating career.

As Schooley moves forward with life and her skating career, the Leon Lurje Trophy remains branded in her mind. She noted, “Gothenburg [Sweden] made me more competitive because the interna-tional teams, some of which are really, re-ally good, pushed me farther. Sweden was really exciting and encouraged me to work harder.” While she has been looking at colleges with very successful synchronized skating teams and looking to improve her skating, the Leon Lurje Trophy continues to haunt her and push her forward.

Gothenburg still remains crystal clear in Schooley’s mind, from the clashing architecture of the city down to the fine details of the arena. But what she remem-bers the most was her desire for the Leon Lurje Trophy, the same desire that has kept her skating to this day.

Schooley and the Crystallytes

Senior Cara Schooley takes us through a day in the life of a competitive figure skater

NHL Hopeful Connor Wood shares secrets to his success

Connor Wood was not a normal 12 year old. At that age, he missed two weeks of school to win the 2007 Quebec Interna-tional Peewee Hockey Tournament.

“You’re playing in front of crowds of about 10,000 people as a 12 year old. It’ a pretty cool experience,” Wood said.

What started out as a love-at-first-skate on a pond during one winter with his dad quickly turned into serious business for Wood. At age four, Wood joined an official youth traveling team. He was only four and a Mini Mite then, but currently 18 years old, he has upgraded to the elite Tier 1 AAA Midget Major team in minor ice hockey.

“Yeah…I don’t really understand the names,” Wood commented in confusion.

Amateur ice hockey in the United States and Canada is classified by age levels. Play-ers start as young as four to six as a Mini Mite, then Mite, Squirt, Peewee, Bantam,

Midget Minor, and Midget Major. Wood is not only a Midget Major, but participates in the highest level for a Midget Major; AAA Tier 1.

The sport that is clearly a passion for Wood still requires extensive practice to perfect. Practice is about three days a week—an hour and a half on ice, and an-other hour and a half off the ice for train-ing. With games, showcases, or tourna-ments on the weekends, Wood barely has time for himself, let alone academic work.

“It’s kind of a tough thing to do, but when we’re on the roads, we have study tables,” Wood said. “Our coaches are really on us about that stuff. A lot of us are aspir-ing to play divisional college hockey, so it’s important to maintain our grades.”

Wood has traveled in the States as well as Sweden and Canada. Traveling is one

of many reasons why Wood loves hockey. Not only does he get to fly to different parts of the world, but as assistant captain, he is able to bond with his teammates abroad.

“We all love it because we get to spend a lot of time with each other. We get closer,” Wood said.

As the teammates get closer, so does his team, Honeybaked, in the rankings. On the first week of February, Honeybaked was ranked fifth out of 114 in the USA Midget 18U AAA for the Main Youth Rankings with a record of 30 wins, 11 losses, and 5 ties. Surprisingly, Wood was disappointed.

“We’re kind of upset about it…I mean we’ve been ranked either one or two the whole year, so coming in fifth place is something we’re gonna have to put back

up.” Connor Wood is not the only student

at Lahser striving for excellence in their sport. Many talented and passionate La-hser students aspire to be the best of the best in athletics locally or internationally.

Wood is determined to continue hock-ey in college, and hopes to go as far as the pros.

“I think everyone aspires to be the pro, but it’s gotta be for the right reasons,” Wood said.

“If I ever became pro, I would hope that it would just be for the love of the game. Not the fame, money, or anything of that matter.”

By Julia LeeStaff Writer

Wood celebrates with teammates after a goal

“I think every-one aspires to be the pro,”

Wood skating in pre-game warm-ups

February 2012 8

ARTSMUSIC IS A JUGGLING ACT

By Sarah ThomasStaff Writer &Staff Photographer

“With piano, it’s re-ally fun to be able to play the melody and the background music at the same time, which you can’t do easily with other instruments,” Junior Eric Struble beams. Indeed, Struble can’t get enough of jamming on the pia-no….or the guitar…or the cello…or vocals. A

musical jack of all trades, Struble has a particularly amazing talent. Not only is he first chair in orches-tra for the cello, but mu-sic has been a part of his life since he was about eight years old, when he first started taking piano lessons. Senior Donovan Smith is another multi-instrumental student who helps make Lahser’s music department shine. Donovan is a part of the Marching Band, Jazz

band, and Symphony. His key specialties in music are the trumpet, French horn, and mel-lophone. “I’ve been play-ing the trumpet for nine years, French horn for three, and mellophone for three,” Smith recalls, “I like them all very much.” Donovan has been to band camp every year since freshman year, and he hopes to become a band camp ‘helper’ after he graduates from Lahser.

Q U I Z :Which instrument are you meant to

play?1) Your favorite music includes…A) pop, R&B, classicalB) indie rock, acousticC) hard rock, hardcore, metalD) jazz, ‘40s

2) The room at Lahser that best matches your personality is the…A) Auditorium: I love to be the center of atten-tion in a traditional manner.B) CRC: The couches allow me to chill out and relax, but I get a lot of work done there, too.C) Cafeteria: I love to be loud and to have fun.D) Band room: I simply adore the sound of a big band playing in unison.

3) I hope people see me as…A) versatile and successfulB) independent and laid-backC) fun and confidentD) unique and enlightened

4) When I play music, I prefer to be…A) sitting down at all timesB) able to carry my instrument around and play it anywhereC) loud and noticeableD) playing a woodwind instrument

5) The coolest musician of all time is definite-ly…A) Billy JoelB) Bob DylanC) Jimi HendrixD) John Coltrane

MOSTLY As: You’re meant to play the piano! You love to be the center of attention in a time-honored manner and to be able to play a wide variety of pieces. You’ll be playing everything from heartfelt sonatas to soft rock ballads in no time.MOSTLY Bs: You’re meant to play the acoustic gui-tar! You’re a free spirit who can’t be restrained by an instrument that isn’t portable. You’ve also got a friendly, personable attitude, so note that there’s no better icebreaker than an acoustic guitar when you’re out in public.MOSTLY Cs: You’re meant to play the electric guitar! You’re the life of the party and the wildest one of all in your group of friends. There’s no doubt about it…you love to be noticed and to rock out!MOSTLY Ds: You’re meant to play the saxophone! You’re a suave, classy, chilled-out kid with lots of soul. Your unmatched amount of expressiveness belongs to the full, jazzy sound of the sax!

By Julia LongEditor-in-Chief & Arts Editor

The life and times of Lahser’s multi-instrumentalists

DO IT YOURSELF!

What you need to become an FX wiz in your own home!FACE OFF ON SYFY

A young man sits in ner-vous anticipation. Though he has viewed his reflection countless times before, he knows he had never before and would never again see himself like this. A sound, somewhere between a giggle and a scream, emerges as his chair spins to face the await-ing mirror. His ordinary features have been drasti-cally transformed, and his once clean-cut face now resembles that of a fantasy sea creature. In the realm of special effects and dramatic make-up, this is just busi-ness as usual. Face Off, a reality compe-tition show that aired on the Syfy Network on January 11, centers around 14 talented contestants with a passion for special effects (FX) makeup. They create works such as post-apocalyptic ver-

sions of Wizard of Oz char-acters, underwater creatures, and soon to come: original zombies. The artists all vie for the same prize: a life-time supply of FX makeup, $100,000, and enough pub-licity to launch their careers to soaring heights. Each episode is made up of a quick challenge to win a perk (often immunity) and a “Spotlight Challenge”, which is a multi-day competi-tion based around a theme picked out by the panel of judges. All three judges are world-renowned makeup artists: Ve Neill (whose works include Beetlejuice and many Tim Burton movies), Glenn Hedrick (a slightly scary-looking guy with his own FX company, Optic Nerve Studios), and quiet Patrick Tatopoulis, whose works include I Am

Legend and Silent Hill. Although Face Off ’s themes may be too centered around horror and sci-fi for some, there is some really promis-ing talent on this show. One contestant that sticks out to me is Matt Valentine, a 33-year-old from Texas that finds his specialty in hor-ror FX. He has continual success and constantly proves himself to the judges. Soph. Jordan Garcia, who also loves the show, has his bets on Beki Ingram, a 30-year old who does FX makeup daily at work in Ohio. “Beki puts a lot of work and effort into her job and it really shows,” Garcia applauds. While watching, the viewer also learns a lot about the fascinating process of creating the creatures. The contestants walk the audience through each step as they transform ordi-

nary faces into extraordinary works of art. One of the first facets audiences learn about are prosthetics: artificial extensions used to mold and shape the face. Watching the contestants create the prosthetics is my favorite part. The talent that they have is astounding and I know I couldn’t create anything close if I tried. Garcia agrees, “I think it’s amazing how much experi-ence they display as they work.” Viewers will watch as the artists scramble to meet deadlines, squabble with their teammates, and create magical masterpieces. Personally, I think of Face Off as sort of a Project Runway for FX artists! It keeps my attention with unique challenges, amaz-ing creatures, and the occasional dose of drama. This show will appeal to sci-fi/horror/fantasy fans and to makeup lovers. Tune in on Wednesdays at 10pm on Syfy!

By Jacobi JohnsonStaff Writer

Jumbo FX Make-up Stix

Cove

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Mak

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Clea

nsing

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Zombie Dirt Makeup

February 2012

9

Wings Fly to the Top Of the League

SPORTSSPORTS

By Austin Burchill Staff Writer

After a rocky start, the Detroit Red-wings have flown to the top of the NHL standings with an impressive 33-16 re-cord. The Wings 21 straight home wins and victories in their last 7 out of 8 games helped to close out the first half with flying colors. The success is due in part to the recent surge by players such as Pavel Dat-suk and Henrik Zetterburg, who have not only scored key goals but have also been true leaders out on the ice. The Redwings chemistry has been stellar and Jimmy Howard, the Red wings All-Star Goalie, has played out of his mind.

Jimmy Howard’s success in net has come from his hard work throughout the off season. Last year, Howard was ranked by the NHL as the 25th best goalie in the National Hockey League. This, as said by Howard, determined him to not only be a solid goalie with flashes of excellence but rather be a goalie that is truly excellent. The hard work has paid off and Howard is now one of the league top goalies. Lahser’s own, Kevin Barnett commented on How-ard’s success saying “Jimmy has stepped up when we needed him most. He is a young

Knights wrestle with injuries and low fan base

In the Fall of 2013, both Lahser and Andover will be combined into one Bloomfield Hills High School, and with the combination of the two schools comes more kids participating in sports, some will suffer, but some will benefit. At Lah-ser, wrestling is a much less popular sport than at Andover. Mitchell Gall Sr. is a captain of Lahser’s small wrestling team. Gall has been wrestling for 8 years and says nobody has every come to support the team at the meets. “It’s not a popular sport like football. We don’t get daily an-

nouncements like football, basketball and the other teams. I was carrying around a wrestling water bottle and people were shocked because they didn’t know Lahser even had a team.” Trey Hammonds Sr. has been wrestling for 2 years, and agrees with Gall. “I wrestle for myself, not for others.”

When asked why Lahser never hosts

home meets, Gall responded “We have to small of a team to host meets on our own, nobody wants to travel just to wrestle

against small teams like ours.” However, Hammonds says “I would like to have home meets, maybe people would start noticing the sport if we did.”

Injuries have also held the team back in significant ways. “Over half the team has suffered an injury of some sort this sea-son,” said Gall. Thats more injuries than even the football team had this year. Gall continued, “It’s always hard for a team to succeed when they are stricken by inju-ries.”

But both Gall and Hammonds continue to encourage others to come out for the team, and continue to say there is a lot to be gained from wrestling on Lahser’s team. And hopefully with the merge between Lahser and Andover, the sport of wrestling will see a turn for the better.

By Tie’kkia HallStaff Writer

Hammonds and other injured teammates watch from the bench during a meet

“I wrestle for myself, not for others.”

A Knight takes to the mat against a cross town Maple oppenent from Seaholm

A Knight enters the clinch in during Lahser’s most recent meet

Lahser Football Gives BackBy Austin BurchillStaff Writer

There were bake sales, there was a dedi-cated football team returning hundreds of cans and bottles at the local grocery store, and there was one common goal, one mis-sion that would

unite this team.

Varsity Football Coach Dan Loria and his guys partnered up with Volunteers of America, a non-profit organization that helps families in need rebuild their lives, adopted a family in need and set out on this mission.

The mission was to raise $475. To raise this money meant a family with nothing would finally have something. $475 would make a single mom and her three kids dreams come true. They would get to cel-ebrate Christmas and enjoy a few new toys and gifts. The Lahser Football, as always, overachieved beyond anyones imagina-tion.

“The bake sale alone brought in nearly $200,” Loria boasted. “We ended up with right around $600 for this family and their Christmas.”

On Dec. 17, Loria and some of his play-ers were able to met the family, delivering the wrapped presents and the gift card, as well as clothing, hats, gloves, jackets and everyday necessities for around the house.

And all that wasn’t enough, Coach Lo-ria and the football team also found a way to raise enough food to give nine other families a Christmas to remember.

This goes to show the many amazing things this group of boys do on and off the field!!

goaltender with plenty talent to keep de-veloping into one of the leagues best.”

Red wings coach, Mike Babcock has found much success in his recent tactics. Using his third stringers, he has been able to rest his star players without drastic effects. Darren Helm has stepped into a lead role on the third string for the wings and has been able to show the league the importance of having three solid lines.

After the All-Star break, the wings won a few tough games against conferences foes. This stretch of away match-ups in-cluded the Oilers, Coyotes, and last years Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks. Tune into Fox Sports Net for the wings up coming games or if you’re look-ing to make a night of it, head on down to Joe Louis Arena and see the Wings magic live.

AP Photo

Ap Photo

Goalie Jimmy Howard

What Did We Miss?Have a story you think we need to cover?

Contact us at knightlife-newspaper@gmail.com with questions, comments and stories for our next issue!

February 2012 10

counterfeiting a school id. Eshaghoff consistently scored within the 97th per-centile of test takers, giving him a track record great for more and more referrals.

He explained, “I thought it was an easy way to make money, and just like any other easy way to make money, it’s al-ways too good to be true.” But, while Es-haghoff considered the cheating fair, most students would disagree. Junior Michaela Jennings explained, “I don’t think cheat-ing is ever fair.” She continued, “They should have just taken the test themselves. Once they get to college they won’t be able to make it because they didn’t study.” Eshaghoff even had justification

?

The SAT and ACT are used to gauge in an individual’s readiness for col-lege. So when Sam Eshaghoff of Great Neck, New York was caught tak-ing the test for at least 16 other stu-dents, the whole purpose of the SAT and ACT was completely undermined. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice’s description of Eshaghoff as an “academic gun for hire” is spot on. He had a talent for test taking, a talent he exploited to make thousands of dollars. Eshaghoff, who was featured recently on 60 Minutes, would take SAT or ACT tests for other students in exchange for cash. Eshaghoff, in many senses, was running a business. Details of his ser-vice would spread by word-of-mouth. Students desperate for good grades on the tests would contact Eshaghoff, of-fering over $2,000 in addition to air-fare costs if needed. He easily passed by the proctors, or test monitors, by

Ryan MoonkaStaff Writer

RG: We would only separate them if we can’t get everyone on onecampus. We believe this is the best way to organize students andfacilities while still being able to offer the maximum number ofprograms and choices. We had a visi-tation to other high schools thatoperate on more than one campus and we found the freshman academy tobe the most effective. Freshmen take most of the same classes and doless shuttling, and programs could be put in place for freshmen toreally lay the groundwork for an amazing high school experience.

KL: If the bond does pass, our readers will be the students livingthrough construction of a new school on the Andover sight, bringingstudents grades 10-12 from both schools onto the Lahser campus. Whatwill life at Lahser be like dur-ing those years? (Teachers, classsizes, programs offered. Etc.)

RG: Everyone will vacate the An-dover sight, all 10th-12th graders willbe relocated to Lahser and 9th grad-ers would be sent to Hickory Grove.We are still working out how the traf-fic load would be handled, seeingas to how all student drivers would be headed to the Lahser parkinglot. Lahser Road cannot accommo-date that many cars, so we have ideasin the works for possible morn-ing and afternoon shuttling from theAndover lot as well as stagger-ing the starting and end times of theschool days.

KL: As far as co-curricular activi-ties are concerned, such as theater,choir, band, orchestra, newspaper and yearbook that are often advisedor taught by a single staff member be fairly unified without problemsof home-school favoritism, even if it hap-pens inadvertently?

RG: Same as with the sports coach-es, these staff members will bechosen through an interview pro-cess where we figure out who will bethe best fit and most willing to help guide their program through thistime in our district.

KL: Regarding the International Bac-calaureate Program, Andover is anMYP certified school and Lah-ser is a DP certified school. Willstudents of BHHS have the opportu-nity to complete both now? And willthe consolidation affect the track of current candidates?

RG: Students of BHHS will be eli-gible for both programs and currentcandidates will not have to wor-ry about disruption of their trackwhatsoever.

KL: What would you like to say to our readers?

RG: We are working as hard as we can to make this as smooth atransition as possible for the people that matter the most: our students.

ROB GLASS(cont.page 1)

MYSTERY COLUMNIST SPEAKS

Bloomfield Hills High finalizes colors and mascot

When you think “leader,” what im-age pops into your head? Do you see a military commander in full uniform or a head coach of a collegiate team? Chances are that the images that come to your mind may change from day to day and even from year to year. There is no one physique, face, voice or behavior that absolutely defines a leader. Leadership is one of those words that sounds lofty and impressive. The truth is that leadership is only as lofty and impressive as the people who personify leaders and nurture those who follow them. Today, kids may struggle to deter-

mine genuine leaders if their sole ex-posure to potential mentors is from the news media, video games and fictitious television villains and heroes. Kids need parents, teachers, coaches and peers who show them the work ethic, generosity and patience that personify a true leader. After all, isn’t it true that the basic tenets of leadership have remained the same for hundreds of years? From generation to generation, leadership emerges from people who understand that blazing a trail is something one does for others, as well as himself. Blazing a trail does not have to mean performing an heroic act on a grand

Leaders of Lahser: What do you think?

scale. Rather, a trail-blazing individual is one who has a genuine, moral sense of what it means to be decent to others. A leader can be a student who does not join in with the crowd when a majority of kids are mocking a classmate. So, too, an adult is a leader when he turns the tv off and tells his child that it’s time to talk, play, create or simply be together. In essence, leadership on a small scale and stage is the most powerful leadership that exists. From our parents’, teachers’, coaches’ and friends’ nurturing example, we learn what it means to walk through life with a sense of integrity. What kind of leader are you?

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for cheating. He said in the 60 Min-utes interview that he was giving stu-dents, “a new lease on life.” He went further, saying, “He’s gonna go to a totally new college, he’s gonna be bound for a totally new career and a totally new path in life.” Jr. Laura Baenen, who believes that cheating can’t be justified, explained, “Theycould be taking my spot in college!” This scandal brings to atten-tion an important part of the test taking process: the security. Many people are astounded by the fact that one person could get away with so many cases of fraud on such an important test. Sr. Tyler Roth described how, “They only wanted one form of ID. It would be re-ally easy to make a fake school ID.” He included, “I took my test here (at Lahser) and the proctor was a teacher who knew who I was.” A student with a fake ID taking either test at a school outside of his own could pass the proctors without suspicion, because the average student doesn’t cheat. Sam Eshaghoff has ac-cepted a plea deal to do commu-nity service in the form of tutoring low-income students for the SAT.

C H E A T I N G T H E S Y S T E M

I don’t think cheating is ever fair

As college admissions grows more competitive, some students are taking drastic measures

I T’ SOfficial!

Can you bleed purple, black and silver?

Francine Grace, the face behind the idea for Finney’s publication, sees this project as an opportunity for the students of Finney to open their eyes to a new aspect of writing while expanding their reading and writing skills along the way. Grace comments, “Beyond Basics sees this opportunity as a monumental step in these students’ education.” Launching a newspaper is something many students at Finney High School see as an unreal-istic promise; Beyond Basics, however, is determined to execute this project and continue to surface new opportunities these Detroit students before considered improbable. Although the differences between La-hser High School and Finney appear rad-ical, common ground between students was easily found. The students of Finney portrayed incredible drive and embod-ied a diligent mindset in regards to the future of their newspaper. Janee Boyd-

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Staff members from Finney and Lahser work together

“I’m going to miss Black and Gold.”-Jimmy Hurley

“Yeah! I think they’re pretty cool.”-Ethan Garcia

“I think they’re too close to a lot of other schools.”-Ryan McGregor

“You can’t chant Purple, Black and Silver.”-Tess Parr

FRESHMAN SPEAKBHS 7th - 10th graders recently voted on the new school col-ors and mascot for the future Bloomfield Hills High School. After much deliberation, stu-dents chose purple, black and silver for the color combina-tion and the Blackhawk for the mascot.

Finney High Schoolcontinued from Page 1 lawhorn, a junior from Finney High

School, comments, “I think this visit to Lahser will benefit our paper because it has opened up our minds to new things about newspaper we never knew before.” she continues, “A lot of us probably have a better idea of where we see ourselves writing now.” Boyd-lawhorn, along with 19 other students showed great potential and interest on getting their paper mov-ing on the right path. Program director and psychology coordinator at Finney, Teresa Lewis, see this visitation as a step-ping stone, “What this experience is is a reality check. I know this will really help get everybody moving, get the wheels rolling, and get what we have to say out on paper.” With common interests in journalistic success, both Finney High School and Lahser’s Knight Life gained from this experience. Inspired by the strong willed drive the student’s of Finney High School portrayed, Knight Life is eager to con-tinue working with Finney in the future.