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Dexter High Schools' student newspaper, March 2, 2012
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March 2, 2012 • VOL. 17 • Issue 5
The Dreadnaughts’ voice
Dexter High School2200 N. Parker RoadDexter, MI 48130www.thesquall.com
Rumors surrounding A&W closing prove false page 4
Republican candidatesDon’t know the difference between GOP frontrunners? Just check out our handy flowchart.
IndexThe Squall Page 2www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
6&7 Sports & EntertainmentDreams turn to reality
Going greenDoes the government do enough to protect the environment?
Rumor on the streetRumors about A & W’s imminent closing prove false.
The Squall’s pastQuotes from past Squall staff members as they reflect on the past decade.
The 5x5Teachers test their pop music knowledge in this month’s 5x5.
NHS blood driveNHS volunteers conduct the last blood drive of the year.
A whole new worldThe Anime Club provides an opportunity for students to experience Japanese art and culture.
Unique student philosopherJacob Caldwell fills his time with unique hobbies and activities.
A pro-con on whether or not our generation is babied by society.
16Video teacher Matt Martello writes and produces a semi-autobiographical play at Copeland’s black box theatre.
News & Feature4&5
Sarah Silvasi’s dream of playing D-1 soccer in college has been fulfilled. She will suit up for Valparaiso in the fall.
8&9 Center Spread
10&11Interactive Spread
12&13 Opinion & EditorialAre we babied?
14&15 Get Involved & YOU Page
Celebrating DHSA look at the 10-year history of Dexter High School’s current building.
Photostory‘A Touch of Class’
Dedicated staff Staff members who have been at DHS since the move to this building give their insight about the past 10 years.
Not just pictures of catsReddit gains popularity among students as a source of information and engine of social change.
page 6
page 14
page 16Photo Credit: Kristie Duve
Photo Credit: Mason Camilleri
Photo Credit: Cassandra Silvasi
Web PreviewThe Squall Page 3
www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Going green
Unique student philosopher
Connor ThompsonEditor-in-ChiefEmily DarrowEditor-in-Chief &Head DesignerKristie DuvePhoto EditorJennifer StirlingBusiness ManagerAlex “Mo” MortensonPublicity ManagerCarly CashIllustrator & DesignJames SimondsGraphicsLindsey LloydBrandon OttoKathryn PisanoTaylor SchmidtDexter StevensJennifer StirlingDesign TeamMarissa ArgieroMason CamilleriJoel GowenJustin JubackChante LiuMelissa MabryMiranda MorsKathryn PisanoMakenzie SvihraPhotographersBenjamin BruetschSirah CamaraDan EdwardsNicole FergusonTheodoreGrammatico IIMurphy HansenNathan HoatlinLevi KipkeCameron La FontaineNicole LucasMichael McGonigleMichael MioduszewskiColin NorthrupEmily PapEmily TarnaskiJacob Van HoofStaff WritersRodney SatterthwaiteAdviser
Letters to the EditorThe Squall encourages letters to the editors. All letters will be screened for libel and obscenity. The editorial board may edit or shorten letter as long as the meaning is unchanged. All letters must be signed and include a telephone number for confirma-tion. Requests to with-hold a writer’s name will be considered by the editorial board. Letters can be emailed to the Squall staff, dropped off in room 407 or given to any member of the Squall staff.
Staff EditorialsEditorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Editorials are un-signed. Columns rep-resented the opinions of the individual staff members who wrote them.
Staff policy
Contact usMail address:2200 N. Parker RoadDexter MI, 48130(734) 426-4240 ext: 7407Email: [email protected]
Memberships:
The Squall is a student publication distribut-ed to students, faculty and staff of Dexter High School. The Squall is also distrib-uted by subscription to the Dexter com-munity. The Squall has a press run of 1700 copies and is printed by The Argus-Press in Owosso, Mich. The paper serves as a public forum with stu-dent editors making all content decisions. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of Dexter Community Schools.
Illustration: James Simonds
NewsThe Squall Page 4 www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Closing time?One of Dexter’s most popular res-
taurants is the drive-up A&W lo-cated on Dexter-Chelsea Road.
But rumors of its imminent closing, remodeling and land disputes arose prior to its scheduled opening on March 1.
Coley O’Brien, owner of the Dexter A&W, said, however, that the rumors aren’t true.
“No, we are not closing for remodeling,” he said. “We will be open for the 2012 sea-son on March 1 and plan to close on Nov. 30. Our goal is to open every season on March 1. Given the seasonal nature of our business, it makes more sense to begin smaller remodel-ing projects immediately after we close for the season so that we don’t interrupt our opera-tions while open in the spring. A major reno-vation, one that would take longer than the three months we are closed, would, of course, require us to close part of the season to ac-complish. However, at this time, there are no plans to undertake a major renovation.”
A&W employee junior Bailey Mayrand isn’t quite sure where the rumors about her employer closing started, but said she had heard them.
“People had come up to me, asking if the A&W was closing but I really didn’t know, and I was pretty worried, because if A&W closed I’d probably cry. I love working there,” she said.
While the operators of A&W do not have any plans for a major renovation, O’Brien said he has been doing small renovations in the interior of the building.
“Prior to the 2012 season, most investments I have made in the Dexter A&W have been from an operational perspective,” he said. “For example, I have recently invested in a wireless
handheld ordering system to better serve our guests, which allowed me to easily integrate credit card processing. Also, I recently added a walk-in cooler/freezer to free up space in our food preparation area, allowing me to redesign the work flow of our kitchen. I have made many up-grades to the o p e r a t i o n s side of our business that to most cus-tomers are likely invisible. Hopefully, the only difference customers have noticed is higher quality food and quicker service.“
He also said there are not any land dis-putes or road projects currently planned to run through his property, despite rumors to the contrary which both have been part of the closing rumors.
“My inclination is to believe the land dis-pute rumor is related to the proposed bypass of the one-lane bridge adjacent to our prop-erty,” O’Brien said. “One of the proposals is a road to bypass the bridge on the northeast portion of the property. I’m not aware of any projects concerning the property in the near future given the current budget constraints.”
Washtenaw County Road Commission Se-nior Project Manager Matthew MacDonell agrees, but he said there is a design for a road on the property but noting is in the works that would affect the A&W property.
“There was a design concept developed sev-eral years ago which may have had an impact on the property,” he said. “However, there is nothing planned in the Road Commission’s Capital Improvement Plan for improvements to the roads adjacent to the property.”
Cam LaFontaineStaff Writer
Illustration by: Carly Cash
“I love A&W: How you get to sit in your car and get your food
delivered by the waitresses, and the chili dogs and root beer are
spectacular.”
“I love the ice cold A&W root beer, and the perfectly fried cheese curds and chili cheese fries are
the bomb.”
“I love the footlong hot dogs. They are so juicy and the chili is
amazing. I like going to A&W any time I can.”
“I love the milkshakes and the fries at A&W, and the service is
really great.”
Abby Mesaros, 10
Anthony Quail, 11
Bryan Tuzinowski, 10
William Howatt, 9
A & W owner denies rumors his store will shut down
A & Wmemories
Waking up at 5:30 a.m., about two and a half hours before school starts, senior Jacob Caldwell rolls out of bed and changes for school.
Arriving at school at 6:30, he begins to rehearse any new pieces he has received for orchestra or finishes any homework that needs to be done.
He doesn’t mind the early hours, how-ever. These are his passions. Caldwell is considered a talented viola player by his or-chestra teacher, and he loves to read.
“Books and music affect me just as they do anyone,” he said. “Both are fulfilling and enjoyable to engage in, but they also expand one’s schema. When you read, espe-cially nonfiction, you experience new ideas, and when you reflect upon those ideas, you grow intellectually and personally.”
With music and lit-erature at the forefront of his interests, some of the people who have inspired him in his life are considered some of the best in their re-spective fields.
“I admire their ac-complishments and their contributions to the world,” he said. “I try to follow their example so that one day, I too can change the world. Some of the people, like Socrates, are known to the gen-eral public, but others, like Gustav Mahler, are not. I come across these more obscure people naturally as I pursue my interests.”
Caldwell’s interests academically will lead him to Wooster College in Ohio for his undergraduate studies.
“I hope to be a Philosophy or Classical Studies major, and I want to attend gradu-ate school at the University of Chicago and eventually earn a Ph. D,” he said.
Philosophy is interesting to Caldwell be-cause “there is not always a right answer,” he said. “It’s quite ironic, because good philosophers know this to be the case, and yet, the still seek out the truth. There are many people who would disagree, arguing that philosophy doesn’t lead to any sort of career, and (that) it is therefore useless.”
However, Caldwell argues that phi-losophy is more important than many say.
“Throughout history, some of the most
influential figures, whether (they be) lead-ers, idealists, reformists or revolutionaries, were either philosophers or acting upon philosophy. Additionally, as Voltaire said, philosophy, among other humanities, is possibly the most important of all studies, because it allows the student to transcend the dogmas and prejudices of the time and see things with an objective, inquisitive and critical eye, resulting in a reflective and, theoretically, a righteous life.”
Susan Walters and Ellen Doss have Caldwell in their Humanities class and say he is a exceptional student.
“Jacob is all those things: naturally intel-ligent, a hard worker, articulate, involved, etc. He really appreciates the value of an education and is actively involved in mak-ing the most out of class,” Doss said.
When he is not busy learning, Caldwell is playing his viola.
And when it came to picking out an instrument, he decided to go with the one that wouldn’t be most stu-dent’s first choice.
“Every in-strument in
the orchestra is unique, but I was drawn initially to the viola simply because it was the least popular,” he said. “As I became more familiar with the instrument, I began to favor it to most of the other instruments because of its sound. The tone of a viola is many things: dark, sweet, reflective, per-haps even melancholy.”
Caldwell is the ideal student according to orchestra teacher Matt Deloria.
“Honestly, I think Jacob has all the qual-ities I look for in a student,” Deloria said. “He works hard and has talent. He pays at-tention to detail and is very teachable. He is mature for his age and determined. I can’t imagine a quality in him I would seek to change.”
So while he has given to the orchestra program, it has also given back to him.
Caldwell said, “When you have some-thing that you dedicate yourself to, regard-less of what it is, you are going to grow in some way. I would have to say that play-ing the viola has led me to become a more appreciative person, perhaps because I am used to playing the minor role in things.”
News Feature The Squall Page 5 www.thesquall.com
March 2, 2012
Caldwell leads
Murphy HansenStaff Writer
Senior Jacob Caldwell concentrates on a piece of music in orchestra. He has played in the orchestra for eight years and will attend Wooster College in the fall.
Photo Credit: Chante Liu
He is mature for his age and determined. I can’t imagine a qual-ity in him I would seek to change.”“
- Matt Deloriaorchestra director
philosopher’s life
SportsThe Squall Page 6www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Senior Sarah Silvasi has been playing competitive soccer since she was eight, but her career is showing no signs of coming to an end.
Silvasi has just signed a letter of intent to play at Valparaiso, where she will be compet-ing for the starting goalie position against two others.
Silvasi said she has been talking to college coaches since her freshman year, and Valparai-so was not the only school that has scouted her.
The University of Ohio, Ball State, Central Michigan, George Mason and Morehead State all offered her a spot on their respective teams.
Choosing Valparaiso over the other schools wasn’t a challenge, however.
She said her decision came down to more than just soccer.
“Valparaiso has a good nursing school, and that’s what I’m planning on doing,” Silvasi said. “I really like the coach and the players too. It’s a close-knit team.”
Head Coach John Marovich will be heading
into his fourth season this year as the leader of the Valparaiso womens team. He enters the season with a career record of 26-23-9 and a .526 winning percentage. And Marovich is one of the reasons Silvasi chose Valparaiso.
“My Valparaiso coach is really nice and motivating,” she said. Her family was also impressed with the coach. “We adore the coach and his players love him,” Silvasi’s
mother, Cassandra Silvasi said. “Even though we left the deci-sion completely up to her, it was secretly our top choice too.”
Coach Marovich did not respond to request for interviews for this story.
Sarah has also played for a private soccer team, the Michigan Hawks, and it was while playing for the Hawks she was initially scouted.
“My goalie coach would talk to schools that I asked him to,” Sarah said.
She had help from her mother as well.Cassandra Silvasi said she has been involved with her daugh-
ter’s soccer career from the start.“I have been involved to the extent of being the team man-
ager, traveling with her and of course the expense of her play-ing,” she said. “She has so much on her plate, and she always manages to shine at everything she does. We are so proud of her. We could not ask for a better kid.”
SignedSilvasi commits to Valparaiso soccer
Teddy GrammaticoStaff Writer
Other signed
athletesEdward Reny
Tucker Whitley
Michael Mioduszewski
Charlie Sleder
Jake Haviland
Victoria Pepper
ClaireTewksbury
Micaela Conter
Drew Barnes
Senior Sarah Silvasi blocks a shot for her club team. Silvasi was scouted by five other colleges, including The University of Michigan, before choosing to play soccer at Valparaiso.Photos by: Cassandra Silvasi
Wayne State
Siena Heights
Eastern Michigan
Hope College
Eastern Michigan
Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne
U of M
Central Michigan
Alma College
Football
Football
Football
Football
Football
Soccer
Pole vaulting
Pole vaulting
WrestlingSilvasi signs her letter of intent on National Signing Day, Feb. 1.
EntertainmentThe Squall Page 7
www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Silvasi commits to Valparaiso soccer
Ted GrammaticoLiscensed Contractor/Developer
2580 West Ellsworth RoadAnn Arbor, Michigan 48108
Main 734.663.0630Mobile 734.320.1866Fax 734.663.1847
GEMSTONE HOMES, INC.
Senior and long-time Reddit user Haden Quinn, who said he uses the site for at least eight hours a week was impressed by this mass protest.
“They shut down their website,” he said. “It had a major effect on the online community. Once people realized that they might lose one of their favorite websites if the bill went through, it motivated them.”
On Jan. 18 when people went to reddit.com they were redi-rected to the contact information of their local representative and were prompted to give him a call or email.
“I did it,” Quinn said. “I honestly didn’t have much else to do that day. I was sick so I was bedridden.”
He added that he thinks Reddit is a positive influence and isn’t “all about cute cats.” The site does, however, feature a co-pious amount of cats and other topics that are not politically motivated.
According to Quinn, “Sub-reddits are branches off the orig-inal website, which are created by the community who use the
site. The goal of the site is to keep people interested and to give them a place to find and give information about topics that may or may not be covered in normal society.”
Richardson is a fan of sub-reddits and said his favorite sub-reddits are /r/aww, /r/gaming, and /r/IAMA.
“I spend most of my time on Reddit on these,” he said. “I also browse through all of the charities that are ran through the site. Reddit has swept through my group of friends, and it hasn’t been entirely bad. We have learned some stuff that we hadn’t even thought about before that. Reddit is sweeping the nation and recently Dexter High School. Whether it is a good or a bad thing depends upon how you use it, but the overall message and directive of the site is positive.”
Quinn agrees and said Reddit is as good as you make it. It can be mindless entertainment or it can be educational.
“Most people use it in a semi-constructive manner,” he said. “What makes it so appealing is that you can use it as entertain-ment or as a source for information and advice.”
Photos by: Cassandra Silvasi
The Reddit addictionSite provides hours of news,
entertainment and political action Every day junior Drew Richardson goes home, takes off his
shoes and logs onto Reddit.com for at least an hour, sometimes may-be three. Richardson said, “It’s just a fun way to relax after a long day at school. It is amusing and is interesting to me.”
Reddit is a site which has skyrocketed in use in the past few years, especially with the younger population. Reddit has also been politi-cally active. When the site’s founders realized the Stop Online Piracy Act might pass, which would have had widespread implications for the Internet community, they and other websites such as imgur.com and tumblr jumped to action.
In fact, Reddit incited most of its 25 million plus users to action by shutting down its insanely popular site and prompting them to call their local representatives.
Mike MioduszewskiStaff Writer
Where to be online
imgur.com
tumblr.com
digg.com
Follow the trend
stumble-upon.com
Imgur allows you to share images on the Internet easily. It can be used to share pictures with friends as well as post images on mes-sage boards and blogs. You can manipulate the image a number of ways and automatically submit it to popular sites such as Reddit or Digg. Plus this site’s use is completely free.
Tumblr lets you share anything via the web. Post text, photos, quotes, links, music and videos from your browser, phone, desktop, email or wherever you happen to be. You can customize everything, from colors to your theme’s HTML.
Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web, from the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog. They provide tools for the community to discover content, discuss the topics they’re passionate about, connect with like-minded people and make some new friends in the process. By looking at information through the lens of the collective community on Digg, you’ll always find something interesting and unique.
StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you click Stumble!, web pages appear that are matched to your per-sonal preferences. These pages have been recommended by your friends or one of over 15 million other websurfers with interests similar to you. Rating the sites you like automatically shares them with like-minded people, and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend.
SpreadThe Squall Page 8www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
The Squall Page 9 www.thesquall.com
March 2, 2012
In February of 2002, Dexter’s new high school opened its doors to students for the first time.
Dick Lundy, who has been school board treasurer for over 30 years, said the board realized the need for a new high school when the average class size coming up through the system started to exceed 300 students.
“As the bubble of students approached high school, we real-ized we needed to act or we would be faced with overcrowd-ing,” he said.
According to Lundy, the most challenging part of the pro-cess was to put together a plan the community could get be-hind and support.
“If we could have, we would have built two high schools of about 600 (students) each,” Lundy said. “But the commu-nity was opposed to that idea and wanted a single Dexter High School.”
The plan was designed to keep the schools together as a single campus as much as possible, and the high school build-ing was constructed with future expansion in mind.
And if the population growth picks up again, Dexter al-ready has a contingency plan in case.
“A third pod can be added to the high school, as the water and sewer (utilities) are in place to handle it,” Lundy said. “We also own 90 acres of additional land south of the high school. I’m proud of our high school and really proud of all of our
kids.” One of those
kids is Nicole Wright. She graduated in 2002 as part of the first graduat-ing class of the new high school and said she had many positive thoughts about moving to the new building.
“I was really
excited to step into a new building that nobody had stepped into before,” she said. “When I stepped in, I thought it was hu-mongous. I was overwhelmed because I’m directionally chal-lenged, and I was afraid I would get lost.”
Wright said the teachers seemed rejuvenated being in the new building. “They were excited and more creative,” she said. “Definitely a difference from the old high school. There were smiles all around. There (were) more group activities and we even started doing more dissections in anatomy.”
According to Wright, even clubs seemed rejuvenated by the new building. For example, SADD held an event called Prom Promise, during which they brought a crashed car to put in front of the school in order to convince students to sign con-tracts to not drink and drive.
“It was an honor to be among the first to graduate from the new high school,“ Wright said. “It was an amazing experience.”
However, for Wright, being among the first people to grad-uate from the new building had an emotional price tag.
“The only drawback was that my mom was a Dexter alum-nus,” she said. “So I was a little torn because I wanted to gradu-ate from the same school as her.”
The new high school also included some new features that
the old school didn’t have. For example,Wright said she loved the brand new Center for the Performing Arts and the new band room, which she said was amazing.
But Wright said the best part of the new high school was, “No portables. When you would have a class in there, you thought, ‘Oh, rats’.
A portable is a building that stands alone and is separated from the main building. There was one classroom in each por-table and no facilities to wash one’s hands or use the bathroom.
Unlike Wright, one of her instructors, Jo Muszkiewicz, had a portable and loved it.
“You could make as much noise as you wanted to in them,” she said.
Muszkiewicz has been teaching in Dexter since 1997. De-spite giving up her portable, she said she was enthusiastic about moving to the new high school.
“It was really exciting because it was a brand-new facility and there would be no more overcrowding,” she said.
However, she said that the new building didn’t change the way she taught her classes very much. But, she said, the new school did prove beneficial to her classes in certain ways.
“Having the ability to open the classroom walls to make one large common classroom is good for team teaching,” Muszkiewicz said.
She also, said the new high school has some drawbacks. “I miss seeing many of my colleagues,” she said. I only see
the teachers in my area most often.” Superintendent Mary Marshall was the principal of the 5th
and 6th graders at Wylie in 2002. “Our high school is an impressive presence as you drive
up to it, but I know once most parents come inside, the fa-cility is only one of many factors they consider,” she said via email. “Having adequate facilities is an important component of a comprehensive educational program, but education is mostly about people taking care of people. It is the culture of the school that is most important.”
Marshall attended several meetings about the new high school, but did not have direct input into the design. She was, however, working on the renovations of Wylie and Creekside at the time, preparing to move her staff into Creekside after the high school students moved out.
Marshall attended the ground-breaking ceremony, though, and said she remembers the discussions about how to have the
b a n d p l a y w i t h t h e c h a l -l e n g -i n g
acoustics of the outdoor ceremony.Challenges aside, Marshall, like Wright, thinks the building
itself has many wonderful features.“I think the building has been a benefit to us,” Marshall
said. “Having large meeting places, a top-notch gym and CPA, large classrooms with lovely views of nature and the special touches the students have added through their art make the high school building a place where learning can thrive.”
Now, though, Marshall is concerned with ensuring that DHS will continue to thrive in the future.
“In the next 10 years the economy will dictate what chal-lenges we face. If housing developments increase, we’ll con-tinue to look at how to use our existing buildings to the best of our ability. I also think that learning opportunities for our students that are outside of the walls of the school will dra-matically increase.”
Like many things in our country today, the economy is the linchpin to future plans.
“The economy is key to determining how we use our space,” she said. ”Our teachers and students will be key in determining how we continue to develop academic programs that prepare students for a world with challenges we cannot yet imagine.”
Current building opened a decade ago
Former Squallers
Teachers remember the first days as hectic but exciting
remember 2002
Colin NorthrupStaff Writer
Levi KipkeStaff Writer
I loved feeling like we were a part of building something important, rather than going to a class that might never ap-ply to our lives after high school.“
” One of my co-staffers and I did a col-umn together called “The Squaller Scan-dal.” We went on little adventures around Dexter and Ann Arbor trying new places, visiting old places, having fun and report-ing about it.
“”
What was the best part of being on the newspaper staff?
What was the best experience you had while a part of The Squall?
I miss writing for the paper in general. I loved the laid-back atmosphere of the class, collaborating with students for story ideas.
“”
What do you miss the most about the news room?
Then: News editorNow: Works for Marriott hotels
Then: Co-editor-in-chiefNow: Assistant District Attorney,Philadelphia
Then: managing editorNow: Reporter at “The Annapolis Capital”
Illustration: Carly Cash
5 x 5
Interactive SpreadThe Squall Page 10 www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Michael McGonigleStaff Writer
Did someone ever teach you how to
dougie?
Tom
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What do they do when they see you
rollin’? Are they hatin’?
What’s your P-P-P-Pokerface look
like?
How deep are you rolling and is it with someone like you?
You’re sexy, but do you know it?
The what ...Teach? I instruct
the dougie.I don’t know
what a dougie is.Of course.
Mr. Moran taught me how to dougie at homecoming.
Yes. Definitely hating.
Haters gon’ hate. Can I plead the Fifth?
They’re always laughing.
Every day. They’re trying to catch me
riding dirty.
Eyes on cards, no smiles.
Sassy duck face in a beautiful
*serious face*Just like Lady
Gaga.
My pokerface is like the mask from
V for Vendetta.
Yep. Pretty deep.I’m in anatomy so hands deep.
That sounds obscene.
It’s someone like me.
Someone exactly like McGonigle, and I roll deep.
Yep. I try not to show it.
That’s a trap so I won’t answer it.
I work out.Only because you tell me so,
Michael.
Yes, I know. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah.Te
ach
ers
Favorite SquallerKrisite Duve
Levi Kipke
Alex Mortensen
Sirah CamaraDexter Stevens
Michael McGonigle
Who will
Kit M
oran
Bara
ck O
bam
a
Mitt
Rom
ney
Step
hen C
olber
t
Newt
Ging
rich
Ron P
aul
Rick
Sant
orum
Stumbleupon
Best entertainment?
31%
21%20%
17%
11%
43%
26%
11%10%
6% 2% 2%
you vote for?
Results based on a random survey of 100 students
5 x 5
Interactive Spread The Squall Page 11 www.thesquall.com
March 2, 2011Interactive SpreadGraphics by Emily Darrow
31%
21%20%
17%
11%
Talking headsFollow the chart below to find your candidate
Are you voting ... Democrat? or Republican?Dislike Obama?
Against socialized health care for all citizens?
Should gay marriage be legalized?
What are your interests?
Some of my friends own NASCAR teams.Bashing Mitt Romney
Foreign policy?
I oppose invading Iranand support legalizedmarijuana.
What’s the point of all this weight if we don’t throw it around?
Moon Base?I’m crazy, but more in a “theocracy” kind of way.
No
51st STATE, BABY!
No
Yes NoYes
Yes
overkill?
OpinionThe Squall Page 12 www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
As a legal adult, and as a senior who is about to leave the protective care of my parent’s home for the free world of college, I am beginning to realize just how babied I, along with most other children of my generation, have been over the years.
When I turned 16 and got my driver’s license, I thought I had all the freedom in the world and the ability to do anything and everything I wanted, but I quickly saw how much more freedom I could have. It didn’t take long for me to notice multiple instances where adolescents are overly cared for.
Dexter High School is one of the least restrictive and pro-student institutions in Michigan, but even we have some members of the community who be-lieve students are too immature to deal with real issues. A locally run blog advocates some form of censorship of The Squall because they think we are unable to handle such adult material as readers and writers.
But as high schoolers, we are aware of the fact that drug use, underage drinking, and sexual activ-ity occur around us. Trying to “protect” us from such topics is unnecessary, and I would argue that it hurts us more than anything. It seems like I’m being coddled pretty extensively for a supposed adult.
And the new curfew for young drivers is just an-other example of teenagers being babied. Requir-ing 16 year olds to be off the road by 10 p.m. is a preventative measure that doesn’t need to be taken. Kids who misbehave are going to do so whether they are driving or not, and this new curfew just restricts kids who actually obey the rules even more.
In addition, there has been a crack down on “unsportsmanlike conduct” in youth sports. Sportsmanship is all well and good, but the focus on these new policies to protect kids’ feelings is too much.
From refusing to publish the scores of sports games in fear of embarrassing the bad teams to misconstruing celebration as taunting, it’s getting out of hand.
Obviously there are some cases where restric-tions should be made, and there are some kids who need the extra care and guidance of adults, but it has gone too far.
Most seniors will be adults by the time they graduate. Most of us are trusted to drive a car by the time we reach the tenth grade, but we aren’t allowed to watch an R-rated movie in school with-out permission, we can’t vote in elections and we have to be protected from having our feelings hurt? I don’t see how that really makes sense.
Today’s kids have their work cut out for them. The notion that they are babied is hilarious. From the moment we enter school, we are expected to make adult decisions that will affect the outcome of our entire lives.
In addition, test standards and course require-ments have become tougher, adding to a student’s already burgeoning workload. The stresses of schoolwork combined with the upsurge of drugs and a failing economy all contribute to the chal-lenges faced by today’s generation.
We grew up as the “lost” generation, on TV shows created solely for their shock value, energy drinks and cell phones. Where our parents played outside, many kids today only get outside in their video games.
Obesity is becoming a problem not because we eat too much but because we do too little outside. Our modern world is one where what you do on a computer is just as important as what you do off one.
We’ve been handed a country with a list of problems as long as it’s register.
We haven’t been babied. In fact it’s quite the opposite. We’ve been exposed since a young age to a harsh, cruel, but real world, in everything from modern television to video games, to even billboards.
Our mettle as a generation has been tested be-fore, and will be again. We’ve experienced a reces-sion, a technological revolution, and we’ve made it this far. Give us a little credit please.
It seems like we’re being judged based on un-proven assumptions. As a senior, three years in high school have taught me a lot. Granted, I was definitely immature and babied as a freshman, but I would like to think that four years in high school has matured me, as well as my classmates, into re-spectable, independent young adults.
The notion that we have been babied through-out our educational experience is ridiculous. Can our parents curriculum even compare to the stuff we’re learning? I don’t think so.
All of this exposure to the realities of life com-bined with the modern speed of information has allowed us to grow up in a cold, real world, and as such, our outlook on life will be different than that of our parents.
No, we haven’t been babied at all, rather we have been handed a long list of issues, and are ex-pected to tackle them.
We have it tough. Probably tougher than our parents, but I’m confident that our generation will meet this challenge with dignity.
Dear editor,
I would like to extend a public thank you to the Dexter varsity hockey team and their parents for making Teacher Appreciation Night on Jan. 28 a fun experience.
In this day and age in which I wonder if anyone truly appreciates educators, it was nice to know that one group at the high school chose to rise up and say thank you.
It was an enjoyable evening, and I hope that this becomes one of the worthwhile traditions at DHS.
Sincerely,
Matt MartelloTheater and Film, Media Lit. and Drama II teacher
Letters to the editorIf you’d like to write a letter to the editor, please email it to [email protected] and include your name and phone number for verification purposes. The Squall reserves the right to edit the columns for space, unprotected speech, mechanical errors and content deemed inappropriate according to The Squall’s editorial policy.
Hand holding
Jacob Van HoofStaff Writer
Nathan HoatlinStaff Writer
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Thanks to hockeyteam for event
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Opinion Editorial The Squall Page 13 www.thesquall.com
March 2, 2012
It seems a lot of people and busi-nesses around the country claim to be “going green,” and some people and corporations do indeed walk the walk, doing their best to use renew-able energies, recycle, drive hybrid or electric cars and promote the use of clean energies to protect the earth
from going up in flames and industrial smog.
But is that enough?
We respect people are con-cerned about the environ-ment, but it’s not individuals who affect the environment in the worst
ways. What hurts us the most is the lack of action that the government takes to make this earth cleaner.
The acts of individuals only go so far. Sadly for Mother Earth, there are a lot of people who don’t support a cleaner earth and don’t do their part to help. That’s why more needs to be done by the government and by corporations to step up and use their power and influence to Mother Na-ture’s advantage.
One of the first things the govern-ment can do is establish safety regu-lations for offshore drilling projects. Remember last year’s BP disaster? We need to take more preventive steps to make sure another disaster of those proportions never happens again.
We’re not completely against off shore oil drilling. The United States produced more oil and natural gas in 2010 than they have since 2003, and the oil industry employs a lot of people. We need to make sure corpo-rations are held responsible for their actions. We need to be more respon-sible when it comes to our environ-ment.
A simple way we can prevent another one of those ludicrous oil spills from happening is to not rely
so much on oil as our main source of energy. It really is that simple.
Our country also needs to invest more of our time and money into other sources of alternative energies, ideally investing in wind energy, the cleanest, most efficient and cheapest source of energy.
Thankfully, the Obama admin-istration has taken action and has started to move the US in the right direction for the expansion of cleaner energy in the States.
In 2010, President Obama ap-proved the first offshore wind farm in the US off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The turbines will produce enough clean electricity to power more than 200,000 homes in towns on the coast of Massachusetts.
We also should promote and en-courage people to invest their time and money into buying greener and more efficient products by enticing them with rewards and benefits.
The government should imple-ment tax breaks for people who drive hybrid or electric cars and for people who prove themselves who are truly “green.”
Standards should be set up for people to follow, and if people fol-low most of them, they should be rewarded by getting a reduction on their taxes. Those who fail to meet the standards wouldn’t be punished or forced to pay any higher taxes.
Finally, public transportation should also be made more readily ac-cessible to people living in the US.
Not only does public transporta-tion provide personal mobility for people and create thousands of jobs, but it also is good for the environ-ment. According to the American Public Transportation Association, increasing the number of bus and rail lines will reduce driving by 4,400 miles per household which reduces congestion and our reliance on oil and other dangerous energies that harm our planet.
We live in a beautiful world, yes we do. But the government needs to help us do more to take care of it.
Government needs to do more to save the environment
What we think:Without government incentives, there will never be long-lasting environmental change.
Hand holding
Do you think the US should be more green?Freshmen Chelsea Kearns
“Yes, I think that we all need to become more green.”
Sophomore Maria Brooks
“Yes, I do. It’d be better for us in the long run.”
Junior Nick Prada
“Yes, I think the US needs to change their environmental policy.”
Senior Chase Galloway
“Yeah, we should find new sources of energy instead of relying so much on oil from for-eign countries.”
Illustration: Carly Cash
Get InvolvedThe Squall Page 14www.thesquall.comMarch 2, 2012
Senior Taylor Marcel has donated in all of the blood drives this year, including the third one which just occurred on Feb. 24.
Every year, the National Honor Society holds three blood drives at Dexter High School, but not many people attend all three for any other reason then the perk of getting out of class.
“It’s a good feeling to donate (blood),” she said, “because it’s a lot easier than giving money, which few high schoolers have these days. And you know that blood is going directly to helping someone. Whereas with money you don’t know where it went after you donated it.”
NHS adviser Cheryl Wells agrees and said giv-ing blood helps in ways people might not even
have thought of. “You may not realize it,” she said. “But blood is
used in pretty much every surgery, not just a blood transfusion.”
In fact, Wells said blood is needed more then most people think.
Which is why people like Marcel like to give and want more people to do the same.
“I think that people don’t give blood because they are scared to but really it isn’t that bad at all, and goes by much quicker than you’d think,” she said.
“I know people who play sports shouldn’t give blood because they will have to skip practice that day, but others should give blood because it is just a little bit of time out of your day and the feeling of giving it is very rewarding.”
Senior Cory Albert was in seventh grade when she was first introduced to Anime. Her friend gave her an Anime book which ultimately sparked her love of An-ime movies and her immediate en-trance into the Anime Club when she got in high school.
It was a life-changing moment.Anime is a Japanese style of
animation, usually with a science fiction theme, and The Anime Club is a group of people who get together after school in the his-tory teacher Angela Chea’s room to watch Anime movies and epi-sodes.
Senior club leader Riley Baker said he knows people think his club is nerdy, but he also knows it’s more than that.
“We are nerdy and all, but we’re also a group of people who get together to watch Anime, eat food and celebrate the Japa-nese culture,” he said. “The fact that everyone can enjoy it, and it is good that we can get together and say, ‘You watch these movies together,’ instead of just alone on
weekends is why I love it.” The daily schedule of the club
is relaxing and full of camaraderie Albert said.
“We usually go into a class-room, talk for about 10 minutes, vote for the movie we want to watch and then we start watching it.”
The club is especially fun for an Anime connoisseur like senior Tony Fischer.
“It’s entertaining and a differ-ent style of TV to watch than nor-mal shows,” he said. “It’s never the same thing twice, that’s for sure.”
And while the club may be fun for those who are interested in Anime, Baker said anyone can and should join .
“You don’t need to like Anime or be knowledgeable about it to be in the club,” he said. “We might be the smallest club, but I believe we have the most fun and bond-ing time together. It’s just like go-ing to a movie. I just love to go to hang out with my friends.”
Albert agrees. She said, “Even if you don’t like Anime, you can come in and learn the Japanese culture and get to know other people.”
Emily TarnaskiStaff Writer
Ben BruetschStaff Writer
Giving backNHS blood drive saves lives
Made in JapanClub celebrates Asian culture
Photo Credit: Mason Camilleri
Junior Daniel Lozen-Kowalski gives blood on Feb. 24. This was the final NHS-sponsored blood drive of the year.
Illustration Credit: Carly Cash
The Squall Page 15 www.thesquall.com
March 2, 2012Advertisements
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March 2, 2012Photostory
The play “Touch of Class” was developed and written by drama teacher Matt
Martello over the course of a couple weeks last summer, and he said he’s revised it
and been working on it ever since.
The two performances of the play on Saturday, Feb. 25 raised $460 to go to the
American Cancer Society and about 100 people attended. The play was performed
at Copeland’s black box theatre and was a staged reading put on by The Zero Bal-
ance Theatre Company and six students in the drama club: seniors Paige Driscoll
and Jennifer Stirling, juniors Jamie Misevich and Michelle Metevier, sophomore
Elliott Styles and freshman Grace Kreiner.
For some of the students, this was a different type of acting because of the staged
reading where actors have scripts in front of them while on stage.
“I’ve done staged readings before but never in front of an audience, so
that was different for me,” Driscoll said. “I like new opportunities in the
acting world, and it was nice to get involved with people I haven’t worked with in
a while.”Not only was it a different experience for Driscoll, but yearbook and art teacher
Barry Mergler said he’d never done anything like it before either.
“Martello asked me if I’d do it, and I’ve always wanted to do it, so I jumped on
the opportunity and ended up loving it because it was so exciting,” he said.
The story is about a teacher, Charole, who is afflicted with cancer. Martello said
Charole is based on his father, but the idea for the story as a whole was inspired by
a friend of his that died of the disease, Frank Glann.
Because of this, Martello said he decided to donate the money raised to P.E.
teacher Angie Scott’s Relay for Life team formed in honor of her dad who also died
of cancer. The play is a tribute to all the theatrical people in Martello’s life, and the name
“Touch of Class” was inspired by Martello’s father who was a drama teacher as well.
He said, “It was a phrase my dad always use to say. It just meant that we should be
classy in all that we do, be it on or offstage. He demanded that
from his students at all times.”
Classy at Copeland
Teacher composes play
Nicole LucasStaff Writer
Yearbook adviser Barry Mergler acted as the principal in the show. Beside him is Mark Batell, one of the many adults involved in the production. Batell also works in local community theatre.
Freshman Grace Kreiner, sophomore Elliott Styles, Dexter graduate Justin Hayes, junior Jamie Misevich, and senior Paige Driscoll listen to actress Breeda Miller as she reads a monologue. Miller played the lead Carole Schuman, who was diagnosed with cancer.
Director Matt Martello talks with Miller about her character, Charole. Martello said he based the character of Charole
on his father and his mentor and former drama teacher Harry Wilcox.
Photo Credits: Kristie Duve
to honor life-long mentors
