THE

SOURCESTONEY

CREEK

575 Tienken Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48306

Your eYes, Your ears,

Your VoiceVOLUME 8 ISSUE 4

November 30, 2010

pg. A6

oard of Education President Beth Talbot rests her hand on a table and faces the audience—an audience

that is listening intently. She is reporting to the crowd of local leaders gathered at the Community Council meeting on Nov. 10. “There are over 100 open superintendent positions in the state of Michigan this year,” Talbot said. Talbot is just one administrator who

acknowledges the growing number of open positions in Michigan. One of

these positions belongs to Rochester superintendent David Pruneau, who is

retiring at the end of this school year.

His retirement is effective Aug. 1, 2011, and marks the end of a long career amounting to 38

years in both primary and secondary education. Driven to retire by new state retirement

policies, Pruneau announced this decision at the Oct. 18 Board of Education meeting.

“It has been just a great personal experience for me to be in Rochester, but [it’s been] 38 years, and

it’s probably time,” Pruneau said at the meeting. Pruneau began his career as an elementary

educator and principal in the Brighton School District, and he eventually made his way to becoming the Brighton superintendent in 2000.

This start in Brighton led Pruneau to become the Rochester superintendent in Jan. 2005 after

the previous superintendent, John Schultz, retired, according to the Oakland Press.

The position of superintendent is one that requires

French teachers plan Québec trip

Retirement announced

After five years of serving as the superintendent

of Rochester Community Schools, David Pruneau has announced that

he is retiring on Aug. 1, 2011.

Retired principal Dan Hickey gazes at the walls of his past office. He observes his old desk, he observes his old workspace. Reminiscing about his past years serving the school, he prepares for an interview that reflects his passion and dedication to our school.

“The PTSA approached me years ago,” Hickey said. “They brought up the idea of creating a scholarship fund for Stoney Creek students, rather than purchasing a going away gift for me. It was perfect.”

From that same workspace, Hickey and the Parent Teacher Student Association created a fund that reflects his Cougar courage.

The scholarship is one of the first to be started at Stoney Creek since its opening in 2002.

The Daniel P. Hickey Scholarship is funded by donations from individuals, organizations, a n d corporat ions and will provide an academic scholarship to a graduating senior from Stoney Creek High School, according to the Rochester Community Schools Foundation.

The Community Day at

Parisian played a major role in contributing to the scholarship.

On Nov. 12, from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Nov. 13,

from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., students sold $5 coupon books at Parisian to raise money for the Dan Hickey S c h o l a r s h i p Fund.

F u n d i n g t h e s e scholarsh ips has been a task that members of

the PTSA have had to overcome. Since

becoming president last year, Lisa Kowalski

has worked non-stop to keep the

scholarship alive.“The PTSA holds numerous

fundraisers throughout the year and relies on donations to ensure that a student will be granted that $1,000,” Kowalski said.

Students who show exceptional leadership qualities and have a strong academic background are encouraged to fill out an application through the Rochester Community Schools Foundation. These applications allow students to apply for numerous scholarships using the single application. This makes the application process much simpler—providing a way for students to receive as much money

Exit Elegant

Q: When was the last time you cried?

A: I think it was the State game as a matter of fact.

Q: What is your biggest fear?

A: Going to the dentist. I am a devout coward at the

mention of a dentist.

Q: If you had to classify yourself as one high school

stereotype, what would it be?

A: I was kind of a nerdy football player in high

school. That really didn’t fit in with a group.

Q: What is your favorite household chore?

A: Vacuuming. You get immediate positive

feedback.

Q&A With Pruneau

Q: If you had your own city, what would it be called?

A: Pruneville? I don’t think anyone would live

there with that name.

I like the knowledge and that I am constantly learning.

“

”Superintendent David Pruneau

Sale supports student scholarship1. Hey!

In English:

2. What time is it? 3. I’m starving! 4. That’s what she said.

6. My name is...5. You look so pretty!

7. I’m bored.

e. Salut!

c. C’est quoi elle avait dit.

g. Vous avez l’air à la mode.

d. Je creves de faim!

b. Je m’appelle...

f. Je m’êmbete.

a. Quelle heure est-il?

In French:

answers: 1-e, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c, 5-g, 6-b, 7-f

Test your French Knowledge!

(match the phrases)

He has a style of leadership that is collaborative and that pushes people forward, but in a respectful manner.

“

”Board President Beth Talbot

by Jill Kelly/ Nick DiamondSports Team/ School Team

by Kelsey Jackson

Opinion Team

B

by Christiana TannerSchool Team

French teachers plan a student trip to Québec and Montreal to enrich student understanding

(please see “Québec” on p. 2)

(please see “Sale” on p. 2)

(please see “Retirement” on p. 2)

Pruneau

They brought up

the idea of creating a scholarship fund

for Stoney Creek students, rather than purchasing a going away gift for me. It

was perfect.

“

”Retired Principal Dan Hickey

When he has to make

tough decisions, he makes them with the student’s best interest in mind.

“

Principal Larry Goralski ”

To Know

French teacher Susan Jarrell says, “La bûche de Noel,” and her French II students shout out “log cake!” “Joyeux anniversaire,” and everyone responds, “Happy Birthday!” Vocabulary drills like this one are one of the ways French is taught in the classroom. Twenty-eight French students from Rochester Community Schools will be traveling from June 21 through June 26 of next year with Robin Wietin, French teacher at Adams High School, Kathy Johnson, French teacher at West Middle School, Kathy Miller, a parent involved in the planning, and Susan Jarrell, French teacher at Stoney Creek High School, in order to expand their French knowledge. The students and teachers will travel by over-night bus to and from Quebec. They will take part in a multitude of different activities from interacting in everyday situations in French to taking hip hop lessons in French. They will also act in improvisational skits in French and record a news

broadcast in French that will be played

on Radio Canada. Students will be

required to use French as often as possible, according to Jarrell. “...The language that we teach in class they get to use in real-life situations: ordering in restaurants, talking to shopkeepers, and also the culture and history that we learn in

(photo courtesy of David Pruneau)

Superintendent David Pruneau visits an elementary school as part of his service to the Rochester Community Schools. Pruneau visited many of the district schools as a part of his job.as superintendent.

THE

SOURCEA2 SCHOOL November 30, 2010

French students plan for North Hill activities

On Dec. 8, students in French Club and French NHS will be teaching the language to fifth graders at North Hill Elementary. The kids will engage in a variety of Christmas-themed activities lead by the club. Members plan on teaching French Christmas carols, playing colors by numbers, and bingo.

“North Hill is a requirement for all French NHS members,” French Club President and senior Jiwon Lee said. “More so, it’s an opportunity for French students to practice the language in a meaningful setting.” The club meets every Wednesday in C285.

New Dean of Students hired

As of the second week in October, a new staff member has been patrolling our halls. Jim Ellis holds the recently established position of Dean of Students, and it’s his job to deal with attendance and tardy issues, disciplinary matters, and assisting students in their academics. He is available everyday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in room C274 or the lunch room. Ellis previously taught in Detroit and worked in the athletics department at Madison High School.

AP psychology attends workshop

Twenty-five of Mary Jo Hickey’s psychology students attended the “Careers in Psychology” workshop at Oakland University on Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop was the International Honor Society in Psychology’s second major workshop of the fall semester. Students were asked to donate $3.

The workshop was open to anyone, but due to the limited space, only 25 of the 46 students who signed up were able to attend.

“It was a great opportunity,” Hickey said.

Students learned about the classes that need to be taken to have a successful undergraduate education and what career opportunities exist for those carrying degrees in psychology.

(compiled by school team)

A

&

with Joe Seeley

Joe Seeley—economic guru, political genius, Ferrari fanatic, and that guy with the immense vocabulary. Even though he’s only a junior, Seeley is the go to guy for any question regarding any nation. Whether it’s on rent control, the meaning of democracy, congress, communist North Korea, or virtually anything economically related, Seeley can give the answer. But, he’s not all knowledge. He’s funny, laid-back, and enjoys watching South Park and Family Guy. He’s part of Key Club, NHS, and German Club. Whether he’s hanging out at Lifetime or listening to Rush Limbaugh’s every word on 76 WJR, Seeley is more than welcome to offer advice. Then again, those are all just characteristics. Habits even. Want to get to know the real Seeley and possibly even learn something? Look no further than below. Source: On average, how many economic or political books can you get through in a year? Can you recite perfectly, on the spot, any part of one? Joe Seeley: Well, it depends on the book whether or not I know specific parts out of it. But, from Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics, I do remember quotes from it. On an average year though, I’ll read two or three. Right now I’m reading the Reagan Diaries.

S: Could you fix the economy without causing riots and sparking the creation of 20 new political parties?

J: Yes! I would do what Reagan did back in 1981 to 1982, which was lower taxes, decrease regulation, and preach proudness of American economics.

S: How often do people ask you if you’re going to be President or run for senate or something important like that? J: Actually, quite often. But, I usually reply with what Rush Limbaugh says and say “No, I’d be taking a pay cut if I did that.”

S: What is the best political movie you’ve ever seen, and would you admit to crying at its greatness? J: Oh, that’s a good one. You know, when it comes to movies… I’m trying to think if there are any political movies I’ve seen recently… no because at the movies I’d rather be entertained than thinking. I liked Michael Clayton but that really touched more on law than politics and I did almost cry at its greatness.. S: Should kids’ shows touch on politics verses the usual cutesy, culturally diverse stuff and unidentifiable, animal-like creatures? J: I don’t think kids would pick up on it and watch it. If they tried, I bet they’d fail and I wouldn’t want them to put themselves through that. Well, I don’t like Disney, but I wouldn’t want them to go out of business trying to put politics on a TV show. It’d seem a little fake I bet. I have no faith

in Disney when it comes to that. S: You’re a strong supporter of democracy. In the case America becomes a monarchy and crowns Justin Bieber as our queen, how would you react? J: I would quote Jefferson and say ‘blood waters the tree of liberty’ and that blood would be Bieber’s. S: Was not being able to vote for governor this year hard for you? Did you go through an entire carton of Ben and Jerry’s? J: Ah, no, because I have enough faith in the people of Michigan to elect the person I supported, so I can wait four years to vote for governor.

S: You’re a Ferrari fan. Would your dream Ferrari license plate say something inspired by economics? J: You know, after hearing of the mistake where they were putting glue around their exhaust system that was catching on fire, I don’t know if I’d necessarily buy a Ferrari. But, liking economics, I probably wouldn’t pay extra for a vanity plate. S: And finally, here’s the big controversial question. Is it caramel (fancy British accent), or carmel (complete disregard for the second ‘a’)? As always you are not obligated to respond. J: I say carmel because I think caramel sounds goofy. I don’t know, if I was British it’d be caramel, but I’m from America.

“... and preach proudness of American economics.”

“I would quote Jefferson and say..”

“I have enough faith in the people of Michigan to elect...”

(compiled by Danielle Linihan)

“I think caramel sounds goofy...”

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The QNEWS

BRIEFSDate of Birth: Dec. 5, 1993.

Worst elementary school food: My mom packed my lunch everyday.

Most embarrassing middle school moment: I called Mrs. Pellafone “mom.”

Best gift ever received: Going skiing in Utah last February.

Greatest moment of your high school career: Get-ting my grade up in Mr. Treat’s PDM class from an A- to an A.

Dream job: Mutual fund manager in New York City.

Basic Bio

Senior Stephanie Pastrana and senior Jenna Mellerowicz look over information packets on psychology. The girls enjoyed a free lunch and received the opportunity to learn about different psychology careers.

(photos by Paige Efting)

knowledge and decision-making in all aspects of the operation of school district, as well as an ability to continue to expand this knowledge, according to Pruneau. “I like the knowledge and that I am constantly learning,” Pruneau said. Pruneau continued to lead the district in times of economic hardship and made vital changes to the way the district runs—changes that include more data-based decision making and a focus on college readiness amongst students, according to Beth Talbot. “He has done really great things for our district,” Talbot said. “He has a style of leadership that is collaborative and that pushes people forward, but in a respectful manner. I think that he will be difficult to replace.” Pruneau has also had a prominent role working with the individual schools. Principal Larry Goralski says that Pruneau’s presence is one of a positive and supportive nature. “He’s always student-centered,” Goralski said. “Whenever he has to make tough decisions, he makes them with the student’s best interest in mind.” At the Nov. 10 Community Council meeting, Talbot announced that the Board will be taking bids from multiple job search firms. This elected firm would be responsible for presenting a qualified candidate for the position, a candidate that will eventually be transitioned into taking over the job in the month of July. “We are looking for someone with their own expertise, and someone who will take our vision and move toward the next level,” Talbot said. As Pruneau’s tenure comes to an end, a feeling of sadness is expressed by teachers, administrators, as well as by Pruneau himself. “I believe him to be a person of integrity. I place high value on integrity,” Talbot said. “He is a person who is true to his work and he has truly been an outstanding leader. I think the district will miss his leadership.”

Retirement

Sale

Quebec

as possible.“The people who decide who

receives the $1,000 includes Stoney Creek Counselors and

Administrators. We wanted people that know our students best,” Hickey said. Two students have been given money since its creation in 2008: Alex Rapson, who graduated in 2009, and Riley Frenak, who graduated in 2010.

“I applied for the scholarship because I was eligible and every little bit helps when paying for school,” Frenak Said. “The more applications I filled out, the more chances I had to earn some money.”

To give students a visual of the ideal applicant, Frenak was the treasurer of NHS, a freshman mentor, and a member of the varsity cheerleading team.

Students that are interested in applying for money, including the Daniel P. Hickey Scholarship, can apply at the Scholarship Information page on the Rochester Community Schools website.

the textbooks, they get to actually see,” Jarrell said. Freshman Amanda Lechnar, a French II student going on the trip, is excited to see how people there live differently “I’m expecting to learn how fast French people really speak, how they sound, what their culture is,” Lechnar said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to understand them.” While also engaging in activities to learn more about French Canadian food and culture, students will be taught much about the history of French Canada. Students will take guided tours of Old Quebec and Old Montreal and see an interactive historical play, Voix Francaise. Students will also participate in the Saldat de la Tour at Martello Tower, a re-enactment of a battle during the French and Indian War, to immerse them in French Canadian history, according to Jarrell. French students can further the French speaking abilities that they learn in classrooms through real life experience, which is un-beatable, according to language teacher Julie Frerichs. “It is so isolated in the classroom,” Jarrell said. “You learn vocab, but it doesn’t really apply to your life. When you’re traveling in a foreign country, you can get lost and need directions to your hotel or when you’re ordering at it has to apply.” Jarrell, who has been to Quebec herself before, believes that the students will very much enjoy themselves there. “Quebec City is a beautiful town. It’s very old world, very French, lots of history, and truly a beautiful and picturesque city...and it’s going to be a way to make the language that they’re learning in school come alive. I think they’re really looking forward to it,” Jarell said. The trip is still open to any French students in the district.

Junior is known for knowing politics, economy

(continued from p. 1)

(continued from p. 1)

(continued from p. 1)

THE

SOURCE 3SCHOOLNovember 30, 2010

She Does it AgainSenior’s artistic talent shines with yet another win

Pewter Casting: Art that doesn’t need paper

Start with a cuttlefish bone. Slice it in half. Carve the inside. Place the halves together. Make a hole. Add Pewter and let cool. Remove what’s inside. It’s not a recipe. It’s art - pewter casting, to be exact, and on November 16 the AP studio art class received the chance to try it. Senior Katie Doyle had not heard of pewter casting before, and she had had her doubts on how it would turn out. “I’ve never really carved anything before, let alone cast metal, so I was kind of scared,” Doyle said.

Around eleven that morning a bus full of eager art students arrived at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) campus ready to etch their designs into the bone. Conducted by Thomas Madden, head of the crafts department at CCS, the students were allowed to participate

for free. They could make multiple pieces ranging from bracelets, rings, necklaces, medallions, plates, or sculptures. The students could make anything they wanted, if they decided to come.

“It’s not a requirement, but it’s highly recommended,” junior Ashley Lawton said. Lawton opted for an Indian inspired design—one that she may mix with other art in the future.

While some of students used the opportunity to try something new, others used the chance to contribute to their Scholastics’ portfolios.

“I’m trying to do some kind of circus piece,” Doyle said. “Maybe a creepy clown.”

Doyle chose turn of the century circus for her portfolio theme, and wanted the pewter piece to reflect that. The circus and its performers was something Doyle felt she could really connect with and appreciate.

“I can kind of relate to that [the circus] because circus freaks sometimes feel like outcasts and art kids and just kids in general feel like outcas ts too,” Doyle said.

F o r j u n i o r M i che l l e Ve i l l e t te on the other hand, p e w t e r c a s t i n g o f f e r e d a new experience unlike anything she’d previously worked with.

“I just thought it’d be fun to try something new because I’ve been doing just drawing and graphics,” Veillette said. Veillette didn’t plan to put the piece into her portfolio, but she wasn’t afraid to try something new.

Especially something that might get the students noticed by colleges. Many art colleges require students to send in a selection of their work

for the college to review. Having various mediums shows different talents and dimensions.

“The way I see it is a lot of people do more drawing, but colleges do like to see a variety of work,” Doyle

said. She plans to apply to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and may include the pewter piece to show them.

The pewter casting class gave students a chance to explore different forms of art, and create something they might not have been able to previously.

Ideas dart across the table as a group of students intently discuss in an important meeting after school in Loren Gosling’s classroom. It’s a typical Key Club meeting, but about an atypical subject matter. For the first time in history, the Stoney Creek Key Club will be sanctioning an annual Key Club week. The purpose of the officer meeting that Tuesday was to decide on what activities Key Club will organize for the third week of December. Senior Jiwon Lee, Key Club President, is very supportive of the idea, because it will help Key Club benefit charity in a new way. “We want to organize a specific event for each day of the week,” Lee said. Similar to the spirit week that takes place before homecoming, Key Club week will consist of different events that the whole school will take part in. “Hopefully, the whole school can be part of the Key Club spirit,” Senior Patrick Connors said, who is the Key Club liaison for Kiwanis, which is the adult version of Key Club, and helps organize the charity fundraisers. “Our Key Club has become the largest Key Club in the entire state,” senior Vishaal Kalwani, Key Club treasurer, said. “Every meeting more and more students turn in their forms to become members.” Through getting the entire school involved, the Key Club Board would like to ultimately benefit Kids Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization that works to fight hunger throughout the world. “The goal is to raise awareness and incorporate a fundraiser in this process so we can help donate to Kids Against Hunger,” Connors said. The club is in the process of solidifying plans for events and opportunities for members to get involved with these events. “Key Club will be running a fundraiser at North Hill Lanes on the Thursday of Key Club week,” Kalwani said. This event, among others in the week, will work to create unity and efficacy within the club. “Earlier in the year, the Pink Paws Project brought the entire school together for an amazing cause,” Kalwani said. “The spirit was tangible during the best Homecoming assembly Stoney has ever seen. Key Club wants to recreate the intensity, electricity, and passion that the school felt during the Pink Paws Project for Key Club Week.”

Key Club Week Planned by Rohan ArepallyOnline editor

by Danielle LinihanSchool Team

Want a free eight gigabyte Ipod? Enter an art contest. Senior Audrey Benjaminsen did exactly this when she won the Artemya contest. The best part is that the piece she submitted was the same piece she used for last year’s Scholastics contest and won the American Vision award. “I’m really happy I can get several awards out of that piece, because it took really long to make,” Benjaminsen said. Artemya is a contest for grades k-12 and is a acronym for “art representing teachers educaton Michigan’s young artists” (wmich.edu). For Benjaminsen, making art is both a comfort zone and a challenge. “It’s just very stimulating to me, it’s like a challenge to get in touch with the world around you and also yourself,” Benjaminsen says thoughtfully, as she looks away from the drawing she is working on with a Wacom tablet and photoshop. When she points out a few drawings hanging on the walls of Art teacher Diane Heath’s classroom, it is obvious that she has incredible talent. But even the best will say that you cannot make it on pure talent. Tons of work is involved before success is even possible. Benjaminsen herself has put in extraordinary amounts of work to become as successful as she is. “I often think people throw aside the notion of hard work and just say ‘oh, you’re talented,’ but I know that I work really hard at my stuff,” Benjaminsen said. Benjaminsen takes four art classes per day during school which are, AP Studio Art, an open studio, Advanced

Draw/Paint and Graphic design. Even with such a heavy dosage of art classes in her day, she says that she works on her art more at home. “As soon as I get home, maybe after I take a nap, I’m off to work either on the computer or on my desk,” Benjaminsen says with a laugh. After graduating high school Benjaminsen wants to attend Ringling in Florida. Once in school, she is going to pursue an illustration major. Because illustration is such a broad field there would be an abundance of opportunities for her. “Illustration is telling a story or conveying a concept through imagery. You could be an illustrator for any medium, probably even

sculpting.” Benjaminsen said. For Benjaminsen college is more about making connections than anything else. “I feel like I could teach myself a lot of things, but i think it is the experience, the environment and the connections that are important,” Benjaminsen said. Ringling will often have career days with representatives from companies like Pixar, which would really help students who are looking to make future job connections. It is clear that Benjaminsen’s biggest passion is art, and she will someday be successful in the field. “[Art] just makes me happy. When I am making things and when I am working it is really self fulfilling.”

by Chandler ClayOpinion Team

Above: Detail Detail Detail: Audrey Benjaminsen works on a drawing in photoshop. She was drawing a piture of the Harry Potter character Tonks. Below: A Masterpiece: A drawing Benjaminsen did of herself. This piece has previously been displayed in the Halls. (Photo by Chandler Clay) (Photo used by permission of Audrey Benjaminsen)

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I’ve never really carved anything

before, let alone cast metal, so i was kind of scared.

“

”Senior Katie Doyle

Co-Editors in ChiEf:Sarah Dittrich Julia NagysChool tEam Editors:Stephanie SiewertSoumith InturitEam:Marnier PeeplesNicholas Diamond Colleen KillSoo Jin ChunDan MooreDanielle LinihanDavid Hannaopinion tEam Editors:Kevin AdamsLindsey ScullentEam:Rohan ArepallyChandler ClayKelsey JacksonClaire DonaldsonlifEstylEs tEam Editors:Anne Marie BarryCatherine FostertEam:Zach FrancisDerek FrancisCourtney BourgoinScott ShermetaroRobert Sparks Paige Efting sports tEam Editors:Monica NowakMaxwell WhitetEam:Nick CruzEmma GuschewskiJenna JonjuaJill KellyChristine KimDylan WilcoxMatthew PitlockDamian RotarovStephanie SiewertChristiana Tannerphoto Editor:Paige EftingadvisEr:Gayle Martin

November 30, 2010THESOURCE4 OUR OPINION

Grrr! prrr!Cafeteria Contradictions- This month Chartwells put on concerts for VanHoosen and Reuther Middle Schools, to promote eating the new menu items. How about we spend some money on improving the prod-uct instead of promoting the products?

Sticking it to the Cars- Because teachers com-plained about students parking in their parking lot, the number of warning stickers has gone up. The teachers won’t share their lot with us, even though we share all of ours with them!

The Clock is Ticking- Many college applica-tion deadlines are swiftly approaching. Seniors, get those applications in before time runs out!

A Stranger’s Message- A poem written by “Ananonyamousbrowneyedgirl” hangs by masking tape on random walls of our school. Its message is one of hope and awareness.

A Time for Rest- Holiday Break begins on Dec. 20 this year. That means two school-free weeks to relax before exam preparations begin...

Caption CornEr

Can you caption? Each issue, readers have the chance to create a caption for the picture located in the Caption Corner. Submissions may be turned in to either Mrs. Martin’s room or mailbox in the main office. Be origi-nal and fun, for you might see your caption in the next issue of The Source.

thE staff

thE poliCy

LETTER POLICY: Letters to the editor and guest articles and art may be submitted to Mrs. Gayle Martin in Room C285. All letters, articles and art must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

The SourceStoney Creek 575 Tienken Rd.Roch. Hills, 48306

E-mail: gmartin@rochester.k12.mi.us

MeMbers

National Scholastic Press AssociationMichigan Interscho-lastic Press Associa-tion

We, the Stoney Creek Source staff, pro-duce this publication to accomplish the follow-ing goals: The Source will serve as a means of communication be-tween students, teach-ers, and members of the community. We will respect all opinions and will present them in an unbiased and tasteful manner. The Source will inform and entertain readers and address trends and issues important to its audience. Although we are a student publication produced by the Journalism II class, we will strive to make The Source accurate and truthful and to adhere to all standards of profes-sional journalism. We recognize and respect the privileges given to us under the First Amendment, including freedom of speech and of the press. The Source is a forum for student expression and we, the students on the staff, have the editorial authority to make our own content deci-sions. We will provide a sounding board for the student body and the community; therefore, the opinions expressed in by-lined opinion arti-cles and letters should not be considered to be the opinions of the entire newspaper staff, the advisor, the school administration, or the student body as a whole.

ContaCt

thE Editorial

Opportunityof a lifetimeThe Scholastic Art & Writing

competition gives students the chance to turn their passions

into profits

Imagination, creativity, style, and talent. These are just a few of the terms that come to mind when thinking of The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards or its commonly used nickname “Scholastics.” We give praise to The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and watch in awe as they transform the creative and artistic dreams of thousands of students and turn them into realities. Every year since its inception, over 50,000 students in grades seven through 12 submit more than 165,000 creative works. These works range anywhere from fiction writing, to printmaking, to photography. “Scholastics” enables students to be recognized for their work. It is because of this fact, among many others, that make The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards a

great opportunity for creative students. Along with the many awards that “Scholastics” offers, an abundance of college scholarships are also given out to those who are chosen by panelists. These scholarships can range anywhere from $500 to $10,000. These generous scholarships help competitors to continue to excel in their creativity at a college level. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are not just a way to receive a shiny medal or to win money, but they are rather an outlet for creative students to showcase what they love do to. “Scholastics” allow students to express their passions and talents with other students who share the same. As well as an expressive outlet, these awards act as an incentive to get students to work hard and to put their

crafts to the test, making “Scholastics” a tool for success. It is important to realize that without competitions like these, many students around the nation would never have the chance to make something of their work. Whether it is financial reasons or for the simple fact that they do not know who to turn to, many kids across America have trouble finding a way to market their work. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards give kids a fighting chance at applying their crafts to the real world and possibly making careers out of something they love. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards provide an abundance of students with the means to turn their work from just another school project to an award winning masterpiece.

Letters to the EditorI am deeply troubled by the

recent editorial, “Media Center closing goes unnoticed.” First, let me start by saying that the title is false. The media center closing has NOT gone unnoticed. Not by the 80 staff members who have had to change or re-think plans. Not by Mrs. Pardon, Mrs. Freels or Mrs. Hill who have had their schedules turned upside down and their work load increased by these changes. And certainly not by the MANY students who, not having access to computers at home, now have one more thing hindering their ability to access technology.

While I do not hold students to the same standards as professional journalists, I would expect a certain amount of balance and maturity in a publication printed for the entire student body. Rohan’s assertions that he “couldn’t care less” about the new Media Center hours, and his condescending advice for students to “learn how to print their worksheets at

home” is neither humorous nor informative. Most disturbingly, it is certainly not in keeping with the culture we value at Stoney Creek. This article seems to be full of simply the students’s personal opinions based on his limited use of (and appreciation for) the Media Center. The assertion that, “I think it’s safe to say no one is disappointed” is, at best, a guess, but comes across as a sarcastic quip. The three ”reasons” given for going to the media center are, simply put, insulting. in addition, interviews and other opinions are missing. I can see one quote from Mrs. Freels at the tail end of the article, but was any consideration given to interviewing any of the students who use the library every morning? How about Mrs. Pardon, who now has to report to a new building two days a week? This is weak journalism, and I have come to expect more from The Source.

I was extremely disappointed in your editorial piece in the October 29th issue of The Source. Obviously we have not proven to you how valuable the Media Center is and for that I am very sorry. However, to say the cuts have gone unnoticed is grossly inaccurate.

The past two mornings we have averaged more than 85 students in the Media Center. Many are using computers to finish up assignments, print out papers, catch up on the daily news or to just find a quiet place to work or read. For some students it is a place to “hang out” or to remove themselves from the noise and confusion in the hallways. Typically we average twenty plus students during lunch periods. They use the Media Center for many of the same reasons listed above. After school attendance is considerably lower but we still average 15-20 students per night. Just as important, the Media Center services many teachers at the end of the school day. Their day does not end when you leave the building. They need help locating resources, scheduling classroom time in the Media Center, scheduling videos etc. For

many that may be the only time they have available to seek our assistance.

Keep in mind that due to the lack of coverage on Thursdays, these 85+ students who typically work in the Media Center have nowhere to go. The 15-20 students who come in during their lunch are unable to as well. We are also not available for students and staff after school.

Our circulation has steadily increased every year. Since the beginning of the school year we have circulated more than 600 items to students and staff. We have also serviced more than 500 classes in the Media Center and Media Center Lab. Closing the Media Center on Thursdays has impacted these numbers as we are only able to accommodate two classes per period instead of the usual three. If a teacher needs assistance they either have to plan ahead or wait until the following day. To say the least, it has had an impact on students and staff as we are unable to provide the same quality and type of service that they have become accustomed to.

Library Closing

Sweat drips from his brow; his eyes strain as the gears in the back of his mind grind away. Staring blankly at his computer screen, senior Dan Stashuk is attempting to complete his first college application. “This is stupid,” Stashuk said. “All this work and the colleges don’t even get to know the real me.” The whole college application ordeal is,

to say the least, a mess. In theory, this process is meant to help our students, but in practice only sets them up to fail. Countless questions arise that never seem to be answered as we are forced to jump through these flaming hoops our potential universities have lit. We would like to take this opportunity to identify why it is likely you’ll get burned on the way through.

Death by College ApplicationWhy college applications set students up for disasterby Kevin Adams/ Emma GuschewskiOpinion Team/ Sports Team

So at the end of the day, college applications are failing the students, the people they are meant to serve. The application websites are complicated and hard to keep track of. The essays, bland and boring, tell the college nothing important about

the student besides the fact that they can string together a coherent sentence. The programs meant to save us money cost an arm and a leg to apply to, and students are consistently set up to fail.

When applying: “Applying to Central is easy,” according to the CMU website. This clichéd quote can be found on almost any college admissions site, yet is the furthest thing from the truth. Back when paper applications were still widely used, applying to more than a handful of schools was a nightmare. In an attempt to simplify this process, the Common App was created, moving 414 applications to a single website. This was admittedly a good idea, but, according to the Department of Education, this leaves 3732 nonmember universities like Michigan State or Central. So now our nightmare hasn’t been reduced, merely relocated to the internet. Students now receive a handful of strange usernames and passwords, (generally numbers that have no apparent sequence,) each for a different application. This does not seem simpler to us. With the possibility of technical errors now, there are just more chances for students to get left behind.

Stress Level:

ANNOYED

When writing your essays: College essays are a joy, especially if you have ever had a craving for writing thirty to forty thousand words about diversity. Diversity is the “hot topic” nowadays in the college world and almost every school gives you the option to write about it. I’m sure you’re thinking: “Well I can write one diversity essay and re-use it. Perfect!” Nope. Each school, in an attempt to be mildly original, has likely tweaked the question just a tad—not enough to make it about something interesting, but just enough so one blanket essay does not suffice. Given, some schools are an exception to this, but finding that exception is kind of like panning for gold in the bathroom toilets. Good luck.

Stress Level:

DYING

When applying for aid: Everyone needs to apply for aid, unless of course you plan on murdering your filthy rich uncle sometime soon. So, why is it that we’re required to pay to apply for money? Yes, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is free, but PROFILE (another financial aid application which is required in addition to FAFSA for University of Michigan) is not. It costs $16 to register for PROFILE, and another $9 for each university it is sent to. “We encourage you to apply for aid BEFORE you are accepted to the university,” Michigan’s website says. In layman’s terms, “Send us your money now! Pretty please!” We’re not sure how this is helping the students, but it certainly isn’t helping our wallets, which at some point (we think) was the purpose of financial aid.

Stress Level:

BURNING UP

Promising Hockey Players- This year’s varsity hockey team is beginning an ambitious season as they attempt at defending last year’s regional title. Go Cougars!

(illustration by Claire Donaldson)

- Clara Lougheed, Teacher

- Judy Freels, Media Specialist

Non-Profit organization offers new scholarships

LIFESTYLESNovember 30, 2010THE

SOURCE5

Almost daily, the Facebook status’ seniors are updated to include: “Accepted

to State, “ “Accepted to Grand Valley, “ “Accepted to …,” The subsequent comment posts of “Good job dude,” “Way to go,” “So proud of you,” by friends quickly follows.

While the excitement of being accepted to college still remains, the reality of life soon hits these students.

“I am so happy to have been accepted to two of my colleges so far, but the reality is that my choice will ultimately be affected by which alternative is the cheapest” senior Courtney Merlo said.

Merlo is not unlike the hundreds of other kids considering colleges. With the rising cost of college education, parents are looking for ways to mitigate these costs as much as possible. The cost could prohibit some students from

choosing their top pick unless they can find ways to reduce the expense via scholarships.

One such scholarship opportunity is available from the Students of the Union organization. This organization was founded by Steve Reiman in July of this year.

Students of the Union’s mission is to “[build] a foundation for continued interest in American History, Government and Politics,” according to their website.

To promote youth education and an interest in history, Students of the Union is giving away two different scholarships.

The Political Science scholarship is for all students who are interested in history. For this scholarship, students must write a two to three page paper on any historical event and relate this event to today’s youth

The Journalism scholarship is for students interested in majoring in journalism. This scholarship asks students to

write 300-500 words about any of our country’s current affairs on the local, state, or national level. This must relate to the issues regarding today’s youth.

Both of these scholarships will allow students the opportunity to have their insights into the government and history published on the Students of the Union’s website and Facebook page.

“This will help out other students and people learn more about United States History and Government while allowing the opportunity to earn potential money for school and create inspiration,” Reiman said.

These scholarships will start at $500. New recipients will be chosen annually. The reviewing for the scholarships will begin Jan. 31, 2011.

Senior Katherine Landis is excited about the scholarship opportunity.

“As someone that wants to major in Political Science, the opportunity to win a scholarship utilizing the knowledge I have gained so far in this subject is

rewarding,” Landis saidAnother way the organization

is promoting history awareness is through a book drive. Starting in Nov., Students of the Union will begin a book drive in Rochester to help local schools.

The book drive allows people to drop off used and new books that are related to American history. A monetary donation box is also attached to the drop box. The Students of the Union members feel the book drive is another great way to help the community and allow people to strengthen their foundation of American History.

“I am kind of a government nerd, so I loved the idea of helping students learn more about our country’s history and government through the book drive,” Tracy Paauwe, Vice President of Students of the Union, said.

The first book drive took place at the Dessert Oasis in downtown Rochester. Subsequent drives will circulate throughout the Rochester area.

In addition to the circulating drives, a permanent drop box is located on Oakland University’s campus.

Students of the Union encourage all Stoney students to show an interest in their country by participating in the scholarship competition or the book drive. Even if you choose not to participate in either of these activities, Students of the Union invites you to attend their bowling fundraiser on Dec. 10, 2010 at Troy Lanes. Anyone who is interested in getting involved with this organization and learning more about American History and Government is welcome to attend.

“Through politics, the community, and public service there is a lot of good to be done and by people being interested in helping the community, we can inspire people to do more – which is the greatest gift,” Reiman said.

by Catherine FosterLifetsyles Team

President and Vice President of Students of the Union, Steve Reiman and Tracy Paauwe. (photo by Chandler Clay)

JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP

HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP HISTO

JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP JOURNALISJOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP

JOUR

Through politics, the community and public service there is a lot of good to be done.

Steve Reiman, president of Students of the Union

“”

Scholarship Opportunities:Journalism Scholarship300-500 word essay on our country’s current affairs on the local, state, or national level re-garding today’s youth.History Scholarship2-3 page paper on any historical event relating this to today’s youth.Both worth $500

HIST

THE

SOURCE LIFESTYLESNovember 30, 20106

s junior Tommy Grayson was dy-ing on the floor and his dad was screaming for

help, he realized that he had a problem. “It was bad. I was using the drugs to make myself happy,” Grayson said. “I was always so depressed. Every time I had felt de-pressed, I would go smoke some pot or something…. But [marijuana] took me to bad places.” Grayson, whose name has been changed to protect his anonymity, has been in jail once and Macomb Juve-nile Hall four times. He has been to rehab twice and spent a week in a mental hospital. But it all started when he first tried marijuana at a Christmas party with friends. “Nobody peer p r e s s u r e d me into it,” said Grayson. “You choose e v e r y t h i n g you want to do. [The C h r i s t m a s party] was the first time I tried it, and it led me to so many oth-er things. It went from pot, to pills, to coke, to heroin. It was step-by-step.” Marijuana is a gateway drug and five times more potent now than in the 1970s, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This potency in-creases addiction rates and irreparably damages teen brains, which are still de-veloping, according to an article in The New York Times. And marijuana is a prob-lem at Stoney. “There seems to be a much more casual use of mari-juana than addiction here,” Principal Larry Goralski said. The Consequences But using marijuana is never casual, as Grayson can attest to. It leads to many unforeseen conse-quences. To support his drug habit, he began to steal. “I started with petty stuff,” Grayson said. “It went from stealing from my mom to going around to random houses and trying to figure out when people were or weren’t there. When they weren’t, I’d break into their houses and steal their TVs, laptops, cameras, money, and jewelry. I’d take it to a pawn shop and pawn it for money [for drugs].” But stealing wasn’t enough. He needed more money. To cover the cost of his own burgeoning drug habit, he began to sell drugs. Not just marijuana,

A

Marijuana’s effects cause struggleby Sarah Dittrich/Scott Shermetaro

co-Editor-in-Chief/Lifestyles Team

It’s a game you don’t want to play. It’s basically live or die. If you stay in it, you’re eventually gonna die.

“”Junior Tommy Grayson

By 10th grade,

44.5% of students have tried illicit drugs, ac-cording to a 2003 study by

Teen Drug Abuse

Does Stoney deserve the title of ‘Stoner Creek?’

(photo by Claire Donaldson)(photo illustration by Sarah Dittrich)

Stoner StatisticsDo we really put the high in high school? Or is it all just embellisment and gossip? To find out, The Source conducted a survey on Nov. 18 of 159 stu-dents in their English calsses.

(compiled by Zach Francis, Scott Shermetaro, and Sarah Dittrich)

67%of senior marijuana users smoke marijuana daily

48%

69%

50%

80%

Freshmen

Sophomores

Juniors

Seniors

Cla

ss

Percent of Students Who’ve Been Offered Marijuana

Amount of Students Who’ve Been Offered Marijuana

November 30, 2010

LIFESTYLES 7THE

SOURCE

Sophomore convicted of manslaughter

but heroin, cocaine, pills, and “anything you want-ed.” But dealing drugs be-came risky for Grayson. He has been mugged, beaten, and almost stabbed several times. “Selling drugs,” Grayson said quietly, tracing his fin-gers across the white tile floor, “is dangerous. I’ve put my life in danger a cou-ple of times….. It’s a game you don’t want to play. It’s basically live or die. If you stay in it, you’re eventually gonna die.”The Emotional and Physical Effects But the physical danger was minor compared to the emotional damage he did, both to himself and others. Grayson’s relationship with his parents was shattered by his drug use and con-frontations with the police. “I’ve been to [juvenile de-tention centers] four times, and every single time I went, it killed my parents,”

G r a y -s o n s a i d as his v o i c e broke. At the m e n -t i o n of his p a r -e n t s , G r a y -s o n ’ s

body tenses up. He begins nervously tugging at the strings on his blue hoodie as he draws his knees clos-er to his chest. . “Each time I got out,” Gray-son said quietly, “they’d tell themselves, ‘this is it. This time he’s going to try.’ But I’d go and [mess] it up.” Grayson’s grades began to slip, which is common for marijuana users. Marijua-na impairs learning skills. It also negatively effects coordination, perception, judgment, and memory, ac-cording to the National In-stitute on Drug Abuse. Grayson also, due to a stint in Juvenile Hall, was taken out of school for al-most four months. He had to complete his coursework online and make up credits during the summer. In addition to affecting

school and learning skills, marijuana also

impairs sleep, leads to the addiction of other drugs, and increases the risk of schizophrenia and bronchitis, ac-cording to the Na-

tional Institute on Drug Abuse.

Most prominently, it in-creases the risk of Amoti-vational Syndrome, depres-sion, and anxiety, according to the National Institute of Health. “I used to be so anxious all the time,” senior Mary-Jansen, who wishes to re-main anonymous, said. Jansen smoked marijuana for two years. “I was so afraid of being caught. I was also really selfish. I didn’t care about anyone

else. I only cared about getting the drugs for my-self and getting high.” Increasing numbness to others’ feelings is a com-mon side effect of regular drug-use, along with per-sonality changes, according to the American Psycholog-ical Association. “I went from being a re-spectable person to being some sort of little devi-ant...” Grayson said, hunch-ing his shoulders. “I never really noticed what I was. [But] I really destroyed my parents. I’m only just starting to rebuild my rela-tionship with [them].” He tried to rebuild trust with his parents, but he be-came depressed and turned back to drugs.Hitting “Rock Bottom” “I got back into hardcore drugs,” Grayson said as he shifted on the cold tile. “All I did was pot, then cocaine and heroin for a while. I got really depressed and tried to commit suicide and overdose.” He took sixteen Vicodin, thirteen Xanax pills, fif-teen Hectorol, and drank 3 ounces of promethazine. He was close to death when his dad found him lying on the floor. “My dad came up and found me,” Grayson said, clearing his throat. “I was basically dead. That was one of the worst experienc-es of my life. I was really close [to death].” He was then taken to a mental hospital for a “hor-rible” week, but he didn’t get the emotional support he needed.“I was really trying to self-medicate myself,” Grayson said as his voice broke. “That was a big part of it…It was my choice. I wasn’t like ‘I need to smoke some pot,’ I was like, ‘Let’s party and get high.’ I was just try-ing to stop feeling depress-ed.” He became more and more miserable. “The lowest point was when I was shooting up her-oin,” Grayson said, looking down at his hands. “If your life has resorted to sticking a needle in your arm—well, that’s just messed up. No-body should have to feel so low and feel like they need to do that. It’s horrible.” And then he hit rock bot-tom. “One of my really good friends, Adam Shoulders, overdosed on heroin last year,” Grayson said as emo-tion welled up in his voice. “It was really hard on me. I was with him the night he died…I was shooting up heroin with him…. He got so messed up. His mom found him later with the remote in his hand—dead. He was gone. He was just dead.” Grayson went home, slipped into unconscious-ness, and then woke up and went to school. He heard people talking about Shoul-ders’ death in class. “[When I heard] that it was Adam, I cried,” Gray-son said as he cleared his

throat and rubbed his eye. “I don’t cry. I don’t ever cry.” Unable to cope with the pain, he injected heroin in his arm yet again. “I didn’t know what else to do…,” Grayson said, sniffling. “You’d think that after having a friend die of heroin, you wouldn’t do it anymore, but I still did it. One of my friends had just died. I didn’t know [what to do.] The only thing I knew how to do was to get high and get rid of all the feelings.”The Recovery But Grayson discovered oth-er ways to deal with problems, besides drugs, through a pro-cess called Drug Court. “It’s the whole reason I’m turning my life around,” Grayson said. “I’m not stealing. I’m not sneaking out at night. I’m not doing drugs. I’m not selling drugs. I’m not lying to [my parents]. And I’ve got to do that to get through high school and get to college. Drug Court is “a step up from intensive probation.” Grayson attends it three times a week, but stays for group therapy once or twice a week. “If it wasn’t for [drug court], I think I’d still be doing drugs,” Grayson said. “I need [to talk to] someone who has an idea of what I’m going through—a good listener that can give good advice.” In addition to group ther-apy, he also gets drug test-ed three times a week. It is a twelve panel drug test that includes marijuana, methamphetamines, opi-ates, PCP, and several other drugs. If he “drops dirty,” he immediately goes to jail, “no questions asked.” Stoney also has several drug recovery assistance p r o -g r a m s , a c co rd -ing to Goralski. “We d o n ’ t w a n t to bust k i d s , ” G o r a l -ski said. “We want to make a differ-ence and improve t h e i r l i v e s . We want kids to succeed in the c l a s s -room without the use of drugs.” Stoney not only has sev-eral meetings about drug use in school, but it also has an increasing number of people caught for drug use this year, according to Goralski. “We look at it like an in-tervention,” Goralski said.

“We [as the staff] are wor-ried that there are so many expectations academically, and we can’t possibly be productive if we are drink-ing or doing drugs.” Students are sent to a counselor. They are made to realize that they have a problem, and that they need help, according to Goralski. Taking responsibility for these choices and acknowl-edging mistakes is a large part of recovery, according

to Dr. Mary Jo Hick-ey. She is a clini-

cal psychologist and psychology teacher. “[I realize now that mar-ijuana] wasn’t worth it,” Grayson said.

“It screwed up my life, my par-

ents’ lives, and my sisters’ life. My parents

don’t have as much trust in me as they should for their kid because of all the dishonest things I’ve done. But since I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to, I’ve gotten a lot of that trust back.” Recovering trust and forming healthy relation-ships are big parts of stay-ing drug free. “Every relationship that I have made since I’ve stopped [using marijuana] are all strong and healthy relationships that will help me for the rest of my life,” Jansen said. “The kinds of relationships that you have with people who do [mari-juana] all the time are very unhealthy because they are very self-centered.” To stop herself from going back to those people, those relationships, and those drugs, Jansen talks herself out of using marijuana to escape problems. “I think about what it did to me,” Jansen said quietly, “and how upset my mom was [when she found out],

and what it did to my soul. And I don’t want to get into that spot of just push-ing away my prob-lems [rath-er] than just dealing with them. I would never want to feel that way again.” Grayson agrees that he wants to stay on the path of re-covery. “It liter-

ally destroyed my life,” Grayson said as his voice broke. “I should probably be dead right now. I think about that a lot. That’s what makes me not want to get back into selling drugs or doing hardcore drugs. I don’t know why I’m not dead.”

Marijuana’s effects cause struggleby Sarah Dittrich/Scott Shermetaro

co-Editor-in-Chief/Lifestyles Team

It’s a game you don’t want to play. It’s basically live or die. If you stay in it, you’re eventually gonna die. ”Junior Tommy Grayson

If your life has resorted to sticking a needle in your arm—well, that’s just messed up. Nobody should have to feel so low and feel like they need to do that. It’s horrible.

“

”Junior Tommy Grayson

Over 97.5 million

Americans ages 12+ will try marijuana,

according to the Na-tional Survey on Drug

Use and Health

By 10th grade,

44.5% of students have tried illicit drugs, ac-cording to a 2003 study by

Teen Drug Abuse

Road Map

by Anne Marie Barry/Max White

Lifestyles Editor/Sports Editor

“It’s like I’ve lost my right arm,” Jennifer Dahn, daughter of the late Penny Pryzwara, said. “Someone has taken my right arm and I keep going to use it.” Dahn lost her mother on

the evening of June 30, when a Stoney Creek soph-omore ran a stop sign and crashed his vehicle into that of Penny Przywara. The sophomore fled the scene, leaving his 14-year-old freshman friend in the backseat. “When I got out of the car, he was gone.” The fresh-man said, shrugging. “I just stayed there waiting for the police.” Penny Przywara was still alive after the crash, but the local medical examiner determined that Przywara suffered a skull fracture that led to her death short-ly afterwards according to Ann Zaniewski, Court Reporter for the Oakland Press. Her car burst into flames and her remains were burned beyond recogni-tion; they were later identi-fied with the use of dental records. Penny Przywara was pro-nounced dead at the scene by the first responders, ac-cording to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, in an interview given to Fox 2 News. “This one won’t be some-thing that is easy for any-body [to forget].” Bouchard said after relaying the scene to local reporters. Jennifer Dahn can’t for-get how she felt after being told her mother had been killed. “My body went into shock,” Dahn said. “I remember turning on the shower and stepping in, and the cold hitting me, and hurting, and not getting out. [It felt like] I was dreaming.” Police took a sample of the sophomore’s blood to test for drug use after dis-covering a black bag in the passenger seat containing marijuana pipes, a bong, cigarettes and an unidenti-fied pill from the vehicle, as well as the suspect’s stu-dent ID according to an ar-ticle in the Oakland Press It was found that the student had THC, or Tet-rahydrocannabinol, in his system. According to the Center for Disease Control, THC is a chemical that is left behind in the body after

smoking marijuana, con-firming suspicions that the sophomore had been high at the time of the crash. The court date was set for Aug. 30, but a pretrial was held July 12 to determine whether or not the suspect would remain in the custo-dy of the state according to the Oakland Press. In the same article, Stoney Creek High School Assistant Principal Kevin Cumming is recorded saying that the student held several tardies and code of conduct viola-tions. Cumming testified that although the suspect’s mother had been contacted ten times, no change had been present in the boy’s behavior. Judge James Al-exander, who could not be reached for comment, did not permit the student to return home. On Aug. 25, Zaniewski wrote that Defense Attor-ney Jerome Sabbota an-nounced his client would be pleading no contest to the charges against the sophomore, including man-slaughter with a motor ve-hicle, driving without a li-cense and failure to stop at the scene of an accident or report the accident. “He’s very remorseful for what occurred,” Sabbota, said to the Oakland Press.

Although Sabbota claims the student feels remorse, Dahn did not see any signs of it in court. “He did not react,” Dahn said. “That was really hard for me.” On Sept. 15, the deposi-tion was held, and the stu-dent was sentenced to four years in prison. According to an article on myfoxde-troit.com, the boy was also ordered to read three books a month, beginning with Catcher in the Rye, one of Penny Przywara’s favorite books. “Well, she was an avid reader,” Jennifer Dahn said, laughing. “No matter where she was, she always had a book with her.” Pryzwara was a Stephen Minister and therapist. She devoted her time to help-ing others deal with the pain and trial of their lives, according to Dahn. “My mom’s name was Penny,” Dahn said. “[So] if you see a penny lying on the ground, please pick it up and think of my mom and all of the many, many choices you have in life.”

“It’s true, but we should not be labeled like that.”

Freshman Ryan

Andrusz

“Yes, it’s true, we have earned that name.”

Senior Pratika Iyer

“Yes, if they aren’t smoking, they are doing something else that’s bad.”

Sophomore Aaron Scott

(with reporting by Zach Francis)

Blindsided on Snell. Driving down Snell, Penny Pryzwara was hit by a sophomore after he ran a stop sign. The resulting accident left her car in flames. “The worst [part] has been I guess how she was killed,” Jennifer Dahn said.

Other Car

Snell Rd.

Shel

don

Rd.

Penny’s Car

(illustration by Ben Donaldson)

62%of freshmen think that recreational marijuana use is not okay

About 48 percent of freshmen have been offered mari-juana. The white dots represent the number of fresh-men who have been offered mari-juana. P

erce

nt

of

stu

den

ts

wh

o t

ried

mar

iju

ana

Class

Fres

hm

en

Sop

hom

ore

s

Jun

iors

Sen

iors

Percent of Students Who’ve Tried Marijuana 56%

25%35%

26%

Investigation determines drugs involved

Behind the deceptively calm walls of the North Hills Veterinary Clinic, animals reign. Some cats loiter atop counters, others peer around corners at the working veterinarians. A ferret is brought back for a brief check up, and then shuffled away to be replaced by a Great Dane, brought in for his shots. All these animal appearances occur within ten minutes of Senior Kelsey Andridge’s work. The North Hill Veterinary Clinic is found on Tienken road, up on the hill past Rochester road. Andridge works there from 2:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. after school, and from 7:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Saturdays. Wellness exams, vaccines, and dental surgery are just a few things the clinic itself performs on a regular basis, for a variety of animals. Their patients range from cats to ferrets, from Great danes to geckos. Andridge found her place working in the clinic by checking the bulletin board by the main office, which lists current job openings. “I used to work at Panera Bread, which sounds like a good job, but I hated it. On [the bulletin board] there was Kennel Attendant,” Senior Kelsey Andridge said. This past Christmas, Andridge’s own pet Labrador of 13 years passed away, after a year of being sick. It was nursing her own dog for that year that inspired Andridge to work at the North Hills Veterinary Clinic. “I realized that I liked helping out sick animals,” Andridge said, “so when I saw that as a job I thought ‘That’s awesome’, I can do that every day and help out.” Andridge contributes every work day by taking care of the animals at the clinic, each of her chores helping to keep them calm and comfortable. “When I first get there I look in the cages to see if there are any dogs, or cats, because they usually have had surgery until 3, and I take them outside, to stretch their legs out. It’s not that glamorous; I clean cages, I clean treatment tables, and

I sterilize some of the equipment the vets use.” Andridge said. Andridge is not the only one working at the clinic who has been inspired by her own pets. Veterinary technician and owner of one of the four kittens that were up for adoption at the clinic, Joyce Phillips was surrounded by animals as a child, and it was their companionship that led her to work in the veterinary field. The people of North Hill Veterinary Hospital are connected to animals through their sense of compassion, and companionship. Someday, Mama may be a ruler of her own future home, where someone else might be inspired by the care that accompanies owning a pet.

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(248) 340-0600(888) 429-0410

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An Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Institution.

YOUR BEST CHANCEFOR A BETTER CAREER.

8 November 30, 2010

For Sale at www.thelimebow.com:Addie’s BowsPrice: $6

Bella’s FlowersPrice: $4

Bottle Cap NecklacesPrice: $10

Bottle Cap MagnetsPrice: $3

LIFESTYLESStudent pursues passion for fashion in business

Just Sew: Junior Maggie Montgomery sews a piece of pink ribbon to create a bow. Montgomery likes to use household items to help create her designs, items like cardboard. The cardboard, which has a slit at the top, helps her easily sew the ribbon. (photo by Julia Nagy)

THE

SOURCE

Off to Work: Junior Maggie Montgomery

works on a custom ordered bow. Each bow takes her

about ten minutes to complete. (photo by Julia Nagy)

Junior Maggie Montgomery selects a wide, neon pink ribbon, with a silver lining, from the row of ribbons fastened to a rod above her desk. She then pulls out a large wicker basket filled with other ribbons. She selects a white one decorated with silver circles. “I just like the different ways ribbons fit together,” Montgomery said. “I like to try new things, but sometimes they don’t work out so well.” Montgomery started her home business, the Lime Bow, in May. She sells hair bows, flower clips, and bottle cap necklaces and magnets that “are handmade and can be customized as desired,” according to the Lime Bow’s website. “I couldn’t get a job anywhere, so I said to myself, ‘I might as well just start my own [business],’” Montgomery said. “This is fun stuff to do on the side.” But running a business is not all fun. It’s a lot of work. At craft shows, Montgomery must tend to her business’ stand. The Lime Bow showcased its products at Heather Baker’s Jewelry Show on Nov. 12-13 and at the Troy Athens Annual Craft Show on Nov. 20. The Lime Bow will also have a stand at the Holiday In Auburn Hills Craft and Vendor Fair on Dec. 10-11. “The hard part is knowing what shows to do and if the products will sell,” Patty Montgomery, Montgomery’s mom, said. “It is a risk because you are putting money out that you are not sure you will get back and make money from.” Also, Montgomery must keep her own books, manage her own website, pay her father back for his investment, create and design her products, and advertise. She grabs some cardboard. At one end, down the middle, a bit of cardboard is cut out. She wraps the wide, neon pink ribbon around this end. She reaches for a strand of white string with a needle and begins to sew the ribbon to make a bow. The customers seem to love the products. “I love that Maggie

made something so creative and adorable all by herself,” junior Allie Kast said. “The n e c k l a c e s , as well as her other products, give any outfit the perfect touch.” Kast and senior Sydney Adams are repeat customers. “I like the quality of the products,” Adams said. “They’re not some piece of junk plastic that’s going to break in a day, and they’re also not some ugly burlap sack.” She combines the pink ribbon with the white one. She pins them together with her fingers, moving her hand back and forth to look at the combination from a wide array of angles. “I don’t think I like that,” she says. “We’ll figure you out later.” She casts her creation aside, leans back in her chair, and lets out a sigh. Some combinations don’t work. Some do. “I like incorporating flowers with ribbons,” Montgomery said. “I personally think they’re cute. And it’s different than the basic ‘Oh, here’s a ribbon bow’ or ‘Oh, here’s a flower.’ I try to make it more unique.” She swivels in her chair and turns her

attention to packaging a pale pink flower clip. The crinkling of cellophane

rattles in the air as she encases the flower clip. She delicately slides her business card behind the clip and sprinkles bits of paper to protect the package. She ties the bag with a lime bow, the signature of her business. She hopes the Lime Bow will be a good side career. “Ever since I was little, I wanted my

own store, but we’ll see,” Montgomery said. “Next year I want to focus on

the online side to get that all set up for college.”

by Julia Nagyco-Editor-in-Chief

Stuck Together: Carefully, Junior Maggie Montgomery glues together a purple ribbon to make a loop. She used this technique to help her create one of the Addie’s Bows. (photo by Julia Nagy)

Senior works at animal hospital by Claire Donaldson / Soojin ChunOpinion Team / School Team

Companion Clinic

Blowing Off Steam: Senior Kelsey Andridge unloads veterinary equipment. The machine sanitized the equipment for further use. (photo by Claire Donaldson)

Here Kitty Kitty: Mama, the mother of the four adopted kittens, peers curiously from her cage. The mother and her kittens were found in a backyard and taken to the clinic. Although the kittens were adopted, the young mother is still waiting to find a happy new home. (photo by Claire Donaldson)

It’s 9 p.m., and you’re sitting on the bed with your Algebra or Biology homework propped up close to your face. You wonder, ‘what the crap does this mean?’ Then you daydream about your latest crush and text a couple of your friends and now it’s 10 p.m. A typical Tuesday or Wednesday right? With all that unfinished homework, oops. There goes your grades. Here are a few tips on how to stay on track and actually finish your home-work tonight, leaving you plenty of time to visu-alize your crush’s starry eyes. 1. Start your home-work right after you get home, with a 15 minute break. You have to be in that mood for study-ing, and right after school is the way to go.2. Find a room where you feel most com-forta-ble and focu-sed. This does not mean your bed. Find yourself a desk/table with a proper chair. Make sure that the room is clean and well-lit before you start

concentrating. 3. Bring everything you need with you. You need to bring all the materials that you need before you start. Take a cold drink and a snack with you so you don’t have an excuse to leave your room.4. Make a list of all the homework that you have. List the subjects by the hours you have them, so that you don’t forget any of it. Then label them into 3 categories: which is due soonest, which is hardest, and which you can finish at school if you really had to.5. Get rid of all distractions. Facebook or Twitter will get you nowhere. If you are addicted and can’t get yourself away from the screen, turn your computer off and go to a room without a computer. When you do need the computer, give yourself a break in timed intervals of 10 minutes in every hour or so, to clear your mind and give you enough time to regenerate your energy. 6. Speak aloud when doing homework. Although it seems weird to be talking to yourself, it will keep you from getting distracted and focused on your work. Talk about how you solve the problem, or read to yourself the passage in your textbook where it shows you the answer. 7. Remember the purposWhy are you doing it? Bettergrades? Better future? 8. Think of what you can do after all this homework is over with. It will compel you to get it done so you can do other stuff with your life!9. Exercise in between subjects. More exercise will make your heart beat faster, and bring more blood and oxygen into your brain. It will make you think clearer and not have that clouded mess inyour mind. While exercising is good, make sure you are working! Wishing that your math homework will solve itself out is a hopeful fantasy, but an unrealistic one. Instead of spending your entire Sunday staring at your textbook wishing that your homework had legs that would carry itself to a desk and hands that would grab a pencil, try these tips and maybe you won’t need to stay up so long that you have these hallucinations in the first place.

THE

SOURCE 9LIFESTYLESNovember 30, 2010

by Jenna JonjuaLifestyles Team

(photo courtesy of Taylor Swift’s official website. )

O V E R H E A R DHALLW A Y SIN

TH

E

You may never know what you may over hear in the hallways or class. Here’s a collection of conversation snippets.

My words are like rays of sunshine wrapped in rainbows and dipped in chocolate.

“

“ I’m just an Indian boy trying to have a good time.

“I feel like I always have to be packin’ when you are around, or else you might club me!

“Why is your water so green?

“Don’t hate on Santa, he’s real and won’t bring you presents if you don’t believe.

“We were talking about Physics; there was no need to bring Martin Luther King Jr. into this.

“ Aren’t there sharks in the Great Lakes?

TEDHAUNTEDHAUNTED

TKISSLASTKISSLASTKISSLA

LONGLIVELONGLIVELONGLIVEL

NOCENTINNOCENTINN

EBETTERTHANREVENGEBETTERTEDENCHANTEDENCWUPNEVERGROWUPNEV

OFUSTHESTORYOFUSTHESTOANMEANMEANMEANMEANMEANRJOHNDEARJOHNDEARJORBACKTODECEMBERBA

FLYSPARKSFLYSPAINEMINEMINEMIN

HOW TOSOO JIN’S

How to: Finish Your Homework

Speak Now speaks out

I am a closeted Taylor Swift fan. The self proclaimed inventor of the man-diet, the feminist in me has given in to the boy crazy girl in me that loves every single lyric that has melodiously made its way into everything that I do. Taylor Swift’s new album, “Speak Now”, which was released on Oct. 25, had people lining up at midnight to get their hands (err…ears) on 14 new tracks by the 20 year old artist. As always, Swift has graced the

female population with a collection of songs that relate to every break-up, make-up, and boy or love problem anyone could ever encounter.

That is the magic that makes her a smashing success. Behind the soft blue eyes and the envied curls is a down to earth human being, singing of mistakes and emotionally charged moments that all can relate to. Beyond the typical girly tracks are songs about forgiveness and apologies, happiness and loneliness, highs and lows. From personal experience, these seem like things that all

people—old or young, boy or girl, gay or straight, black, white, brown or purple—can relate to. This connection stems from the very literal tones of her songs. Her lyrics in “Enchanted” literally entails one enchanting night, the magic behind a perfect first meeting. Her track “Better Than Revenge” show the anger towards someone who stole a former boyfriend. And perhaps the most relatable song is “Long Live”, the moment of ultimate ecstasy, being on top of the world. Then there’s “Last Kiss”, a moment exposing an

ultimate low, literally painting the picture of a girl who can “still feel your arms and now I’ll go lay on the floor.” It doesn’t get much lower than that.

Swift’s new album is a series of songs that are her literally speaking now, according to her website. Each one is a confession, something that she is directing to each individual. Perhaps it is time for the world to learn a little something from this famed blonde singer—speak...or in her case sing... now or forever hold your peace.

Listen Up: Headphones that make headlines

To music fans, listening to their headphones is like being in another world. The headphones create a

surround sound portal into the song. Headphone quality is the sole base to a prime music-listening experience.

by David HannaSchool Team

These headphones are the way to go. The captivating headphones revolutionize the way people listen to music. The over the ear beats are great for blocking out background noise and focusing primarily on the music. These are by far my favorite. When I put these on, I feel like I am really in a studio,

recording a song. The bass on these headphones is what impressed me. The bass on every song that I listened to would shake the headphones and they sent a heavy vibration on my ears. The beats also have comforting padding around the ears. Many people would say that these headphones are

overrated because a lot of students have them but I disagree. They have the best sound quality of any headphones. The price of the over-ear headphones are $300.00 at Best Buy and is worth every dollar!

These headphones are notorious for their in-ear headphone mic’ds. When I put in these mic’ds, I noticed that they were incredibly uncomfortable and they also were hard to keep into my ear. I was getting ready to put them down but I soon heard the

music playing and became satisfied. The bass on these little headphones were unexpectedly incredible. Although I did not like them as much as the Beats by Dr. Dre, they still projected the sound of music in a way that I did not think

such little headphones could do. These headphones range from $20.00 to $60.00. These headphones are a great buy for those individuals that want reasonably priced headphones.

These headphones are great for noise cancelling. But for me, that was the only up side I saw when I tried on a pair of the over-ear Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones. Bose also has the ugliest looking headphones. You would

think that they would add a little color, but no, they are very vague and boring. Who would enjoy walking around with plain grey headphones on their heads? Bose has a large variety of headphones to choose from. They have a short

battery life, between all the headphones, I would say that the Bose are the most comfortable but are the worst for projecting music. The headphones range from $299.99 to $349.99 at Best Buy.

New album appeals to the boy crazy girly-girl

Bose

Skullcandy

Beats by Dr. Dre

HOT

NOTBr

ad P

aisl

ey

Pen

cil S

kirt

s

Turk

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Moc

casi

ns

Yoga

Keith Urban

Mini Skirts

Candy

Ugg Boots

Step Aerobics

SPORTSNovember 30, 2010THE

SOURCE10

10 No. 10: It was

the race of a lifetime. Cliché? No, truth.

“Every girl ran her best time not only of the season,

but of her life,” Cross Country Coach Megan Thomas said.

At the state meet on Nov. 6 at Michigan International Speedway,

Cassie Hoffman and Sara Szatkowski ran under 19:00. Last year, the girls placed twenty-sev-enth. This year, they placed eleventh defy-ing all state-wide predictions. The boys also crossed the finish line with a bang. Three runners, Austin Tre-theway at 16:05, Eli Nasr at 16:07, and Brandon Townsend at 16:09, broke the school record. Last year, the boys placed twenty-fourth at the state meet. Again defying predictions, this year they placed twelfth.

Girls leap for the titleDance Team Prepares for Nationalsby Colleen Kill School Team

No. 9: Three strokes too many. That’s it. The girls golf team came in second place with 660 points at the Michigan High School Athletic Associa-tion Girls Division One Golf State Championships. The winning score, attained by Saline High School, was 657 points. Senior Devon Compton won the first place medal.

No. 2: Swim team pulls out a negative

split for the sea-son. Thanks to the 2008 team’s

victorious season in division two, this

year’s team moved to division one. “It’s exciting stuff,” Captain Haley Ber-ich said. “Overall, we improved as a team.” Even though the swimmers swam against faster com-petition, the team’s record surfaced at fifth place in divi-sion one as com-pared to last year’s sixth place in division two.

No. 7: Division one calls for lower state qualifying times. Division one calls for faster swimmers. Sophomore Sydney Schurig felt that the change in division had a large affect on the team. “It was way harder to make states this year,” Schurig said. But Cougar swimmers triumphed even in these rougher waters, and many events still qualified for the state meet on Nov. 19. Junior Rachel Watton and Junior Hannah Knapp both individually qualified. The 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay also qualified.

No. 6: The varsity vol-leyball team concluded its season with an

overall record of 16-23-4 in the Oakland Activities Association White Division. The lady cougars fought

their way through a tough division, ending with a better record than the previous season. While some of the teams

were more competitive in OAA White, the seniors stepped up to the challenge by bringing leadership for the team’s success, accord-

ing to coach Katie Pederson.

No. 5: At one point in var-sity football’s season, 12 players

were out in one week due to inju-ries, according to assistant coach

Rich Koch. “[The injuries] forced a lot of ju-niors to step up, and they did the best they could,” Koch said. The boys ended their season with an overall record of 2-7 in the Oakland Athletic Association White division. “The guys fought their tails off [this season],” Koch said. “Every single player would admit that he’s a better person.”

No. 4: The boys varsity soc-cer team concluded its season with a record of 9-8-7 in OAA division one, making it to district finals for the second consecutive year. Other highlights of the season include almost tying East Kentwood, the defending state champs. More no-tably, the team scored a victory over the Troy Colts, a team ranked third in the state.

No. 1: To raise cancer awareness in the community, the varsity football team participated in the Pink Paws Project at the homecoming game against the Oxford Wildcats on Sept. 24. The players wore pink jerseys in honor, or in memory of loved ones affected by cancer. The team raised $20,000 for the American Cancer Society which will ben-efit the people suffering from cancer in this com-munity.

No. 3: They broke the rib-bon… three times in a row. A mixture of talent, smart workouts, team unity, and sheer adrenaline won

both the boys and girls cross coun-try teams their first place titles in

the Oakland Activities Association League. Both teams won all three

league jamboree meets.

Strides for smiles: Varsity cross country girls pose, showing off their trophy. They won first place at the regional meet. (photo by Natalie Bick)

No. 8: The freshman football team walked off the turf for the final time this season without suffering a single loss. The team went 9-0 dominating as the only undefeated team in the divi-sion. For freshman David Kerr, the climax of the season came with the victory over Adams. “It was really cool,” Kerr said. “There were a ton of people there. We’ve never beat Adams at Stoney be-fore.”

Butterfly away: Senior Haley Berich races the 200 individual medley. Berich finished her season as a proud captain of the girls swim team. (photo by Chandler Clay)

(compiled by Christine Kim and Lindsey Scullen)

(photos by Chandler Clay)

Mirrors cover the walls, and black rubber coats the floor of the tiny, rectangular dance room. The varsity dancers leap across the floor like pouncing leopards. They waste no time. They are always leaping, toe touching, kicking their legs up. At practice, senior Alyssa Lawler soars into the air, her toes pointed, and arms outstretched like an eagle, as she lands a perfect jump. “When I’m standing on the floor waiting for the music to start, my heart starts pumping out of control,” Lawler said. “I’m so excited to start dancing

and to show the school and the judges what dance team is made of!” Lawler is just one of the varsity dancers who

are leaping, toe touching, triple pirouetting, and kicking their way towards nationals. The varsity dance team

is full of excitement in anticipation for the Universal Dance Association (UDA) Nationals on Feb. 5 and 6. Over the summer at the UDA dance camp, the dance team placed second in the small varsity dance of pom. The second place finish at the camp guaranteed the dance team an invitation to nationals. In preparation for the competition, the dance team hosted the UDA Great Lakes Invitational on Nov. 21. They raised money for nationals in concessions. This was a big competition for high school dance teams. It was an honor for the dance team to host, according to Lawler. The dances range from jazz and pom to hip hop. “I love the amazing sensation that goes through me when I’m

dancing,” Lawler said. “I feel so powerful being able to convey a story or an emotion through movement. My favorite dances to perform are pom and jazz,” Lawler said. “They get the crowd pumped up.” Members of the dance team are excited to perform at nationals. “It’s such an adrenaline rush performing out there on the floor in front of my friends and family,” Lawler said. “I hit moves harder, jump higher, and smile bigger when the crowd is feeding me energy.” Every member of the dance team practices with her dance studio. The purpose is to improve technique. A high technique level is vital for nationals. Dancing is a passion for these ladies. “Dancing means the

world to me,” Lawler said. “It brings me up when I’m feeling sad and it brings so much purpose to my time.” Members of the dance team enjoy dancing for their school. “My favorite part of being on dance team is dancing in the pep assemblies and football games,” sophomore Heather Kelly said. “I love performing for my school.” The dance team is training hard, grinding out long hours of dancing and having fun. “Being on dance team is pretty dang spectacular,” freshman Kristyn Puvogel said. The girls are one big family. “Our dance team kind of makes up a little family,” Lawler said. “We all love each other and we love our coaches, and that shows in practice and on the competition floor.”

Practice makes perfect: Sophomore Heather Kelly rehears-es her dance. She has loved being a part of the varsity dance team. (photo by Chandler Clay)

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

OF 2010’S FALL SEASON

In my four years at Stoney the big three sports, basketball, football, and soccer, have always gotten the most attention, and understandably. They are by far the more exciting sports to watch. But they are not always the most successful teams at Stoney. We seem to have better “under the radar” sports teams. Since I started as a freshman we have seen our first two state championships. Everyone knows about the cheer championship last winter. But the unnoticed championship was won just this fall. Senior Devin Compton, won the 2010 girls golf state championship. Since Compton’s freshman year she has been a major player in the girl’s golf world. With four straight state finals appearances, one all state honor, one all state super team honor, and most recently Ms. Golf of the state of Michigan, Compton has become a staple point in the girl’s varsity playoff matches. With all this success has come little acknowled-gement from fellow students however. In passing conver-sations with fellow classmates I have just thrown the question out there of who was the last person to win a state title for Stoney. A handful of these people sadly said the cheerleaders from last year. This is kind of bothersome to me considering just this past fall we had our first individual state champion in school history and some people don’t even know about it. Fellow golfer Junior Gabby Yurik, who finished third, also deserves a little more credit for her success on the links, and on the basketball court. Another under appreciated perennial power house in Stoney sports would be both our girls and boys varsity cross country teams. This year our girls won the school’s first back to back regional championships, while our boys brought home their first regional championship. These two accomplishments have flown relatively under the radar. Outside of maybe an announcement or two during sixth hour these teams haven’t quite gotten the recognition I believe they deserve. Many students will say that they simply don’t care about these sports because they are boring to watch and not exciting to go to. I’m not saying we need have some huge cheering section at Michigan International Speedway for the cross country finals or have a huge student car pool up to Eagle Crest golf course up at Eastern Michigan for the golf finals or anything. I’m just saying the school and athletic department should make these success’ a little more known to the masses. Whether it’s a pep assembly at the end of the regular season for each sports season, or once all the playoffs have ended for the success’ this year, we need to somehow get our school excited about all of our sports and give our star athletes a little more hype, no matter what sport they play.

THE

SOURCE11SPORTSNovember 30, 2010

With shoes and headgear in hand, Junior Nick Gajdzik shows up to every wrestling practice with his uniform tucked in and ready. “I love the sport,” Gajdzik said. “I love wrestling, and that is what truly drives me most.” Gajdzik is the captain of the varsity wrestling team. In eighth grade, he wrestled in Team Michigan for Nationals. Last year, he participated in the

Tournament of Champions in Ohio. This summer, he practiced nine-hour days at Cornell University. He does all of this because he loves it. “There’s no secret to it, you just got to love what you do, and that’s how you become the best,” Gajdzik said. Last year, Gajdzik placed seventh in the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) state tournament. This qualified him as an All-State wrestler. This 2010-2011 wrestling season, Gajdzik has high expectations for

himself. “I plan on winning the state championship this year,” Gajdzik said. “That’s my top goal for this season. I’ll settle for nothing but that.” Gajdzik didn’t do it alone, though. He has his coaches to thank for his success. “Coach Smart, Coach Reb, and Coach Macintosh all do a wonderful job being coaches,” Gajdzik said. “I’ve been wrestling for nine years. They’ve been making practices that are challenging for me, but not too challenging for the kids that say this is their first year.” Coach Smart believes Gajdzik fits the agenda for the wrestling captain. “Some kids just tend to become leaders, and other kids will follow them,” Smart said as Gajdzik behind him lead the storm of feet during the warm-up, “And you could see that happening with Nick.” His family also believes he’s a great leader. “He always does all the right things,” Brother Jake Gajdzik said, “He always tries his hardest. And when kids see that, they really want to do that.” Nick has been working hard for nine years, and his hard work has been paying off. “I’ve been wrestling

almost my entire life, for sure my entire sports career, and that’s helped me build up to what I’ve accomplished now,” Nick said. He started his first two years in Ohio. Those years were rough, but he had winning records. In fifth grade in Ohio, he placed eighth in the state; however, in sixth grade, when he moved to Michigan, he won two state championships in a

row. He was the runner-up his eighth grade year, partly because he tore his shoulder two weeks prior to the event. He’s expecting a lot this year. “There were ups and downs [last] season, but overall I was able to build up my confidence and help perfect my style and be able to become the wrestler I am now,” Nick said, “A strong program with great coaches creates great wrestlers.”

Junior Adam Sobilo earns black belt after ten years of training

Ten years of practice. Three times a week. Two hours per practice. In all 18,720 minutes of training, all put towards, Junior Adam Sobilo earning his first degree black belt. He has recently earned his level one black belt after ten long years of training in Shovin Ryu Shido Kan, one of the oldest forms of karate. Shido Kan originated in Japan and was passed down by the last samurai

of the last Japanese emperor. Obtaining

a first level black belt is considered a tremendous honor. It takes many years of hard work and sacrifice to earn a black belt. “Lots of years of training, and lots of time after school, you have to sacrifice time you’d like to spend with friends and instead go to the dojo for training,” Sobilo said. He has devoted huge parts of his life to the mastery of

his art and he finally feels it is beginning to pay off. He has learned this amazing work ethic from his sensei, Laura Charteir. “To be a true martial artist, it’s 24/7 everyday, no matter where you are,” Chareir said. According to Sobilo the kicks are the hardest moves, and take the longest to learn. He maintained perfect balance and precision as he snapped his leg through the air while demonstrating a side thrust kick. He repeated kick after kick each with perfect execution. Sobilo claims that his Karate teacher has been a great influence in his life, and he credits a lot of his success to the support of his master. “They know me as a person, and it’s not just a teacher student relationship. It’s a lot like a close family friendship.” Sobilo said. Howland recognizes the importance of learning karate in a family environment. “Someone comes into the

school, of course they’re a stranger, ” Charteir said, “But as people continue walking down the path of karate, then you become like a family.” She believes that the longer you practice with someone the closer you become. Fellow Karate student, senior Kristin Batko, recognizes the effect of all of Sobilo’s hard work “He is really good at Kata, although according to our sensei you cannot be ‘good’ at karate because there is always room for improvement,” Batko said. According to the web site of types of martial arts, Kata is the Japanese art of choreographed moves, used in sequence for self defense. Batko is a brown belt with one black stripe. That is the second highest belt; she has been training with Sobilo for the past four years. Even though she has yet to earn her black belt, she isn’t afraid to get a little competitive. “I could beat him up,” Batko said. Although karate is traditionally

more of an honorable sport or art form, it has adapted to the times and also has a very

competitive side to it now. If you ask any student of karate, though, it isn’t about the competitions; it’s about the lifelong lessons of setting and reaching goals and the honor that comes with this very storied tradition of self defense. “Finally achieving my goal was one of the greatest feelings I have ever had,” Sobilo said. This honor was so meaningful because of the intense testing one must endure to earn it. When any karate student attempts to earn a new belt, he only needs to test in front of a teacher, but when it is a black belt on the line, the circumstances change. Sobilo needed to take part in a huge ceremony where each candidate underwent a rigorous test in front of several teachers and over 150 other students. “It’s just an adrenaline rush” Sobilo said.

THE CALL

by Matt Pitlock/ Dylan Wilcox

Sports team

the New

SHODAN at STONEY

by Nick Cruz / Damian Rotarov Sports team

Hercules got nothin’: Junior Nick Gajdzik lifts 230 lb. junior Serge Andreou. During their practices, the wrestlers tossed, hit, shoved, and lifted each other. (photo by Nick Cruz)

Junior captain stands tall as a leader

Training: Above Junior Adam Sobilo and senior Kristin Batko spar. Spar-ring is an important practice teqnigue.

(Photos by Nick Cruz) (Photo illustra-tions by Sarah Dittrich)

Side-Kick: Left Junior Adam sobilo perfomed a side thrust kick. He con-sideres kicks the most difficult to learn.

Poise:Junior Adam Sobilo prepared to engage opponent. The art of karate requires perfect balance.

Stoney athletes fly under the radarby Dylan Wilcox

Sports team

THE

SOURCE LIFESTYLESNovember 30, 201012

(Artwork by Claire Donaldson)

Get ready for the ice

Preparation for ice fishing season begins

Slomka competes in Icemanby Steph SiewertSchool co-editer

Ryan Slomka keeps peddling his feet as he rounds the corner of the next bend. He peddles faster and faster trying to beat out his competition as he treks up the hill leading to the midpoint of the race. With a c h e e r i n g crowd to encourage him to the top h e stays

focused on his goal. The only thing he sees is the summit.“It took everything I had in

me to push my way to the top,” Slomka said. “I was determined not to quit.” Thirty-seven thousand mountain bikers, including our very own math teacher,

Slomka, competed in a race called Iceman. This is the twenty-first annual race held since 1989, but only Slomka’s first year competing. Iceman is the last race of the season and is specifically named because November is the last seasonal month for mountain bike racing. Racers have to prepare for any kind of weather. In this past race, there was up to three inches of snow and slippery ice on much of the roads in the early morning. “The terrain wasn’t the difficult part of this race,” Dan Krajcovic said. “It was dealing with my frozen fingers.” Krajcovic is another c o m p e t i t o r from the race. He is also a service e x p e r t from the Rochester Bike shop said. In

preparing for this treacherous race, Slomka, along with Krajcovic, rode at least once a week with the Rochester Bike Shop Mountain Bike Team. There are around 60 members on the team and over 20 of them competed in the Iceman competition. Sophomore Joey Stein is

a member of the Stoney Creek Mountain Bike Club and also competed in the race. “There really isn’t a lot else you can do with preparing for a race like this,” Stein said. “ I just rode a few miles more a few weeks before the race and worked out in the school’s work out room,” Slomka is also the head of the

Mountain Bike Club. He tries to meet with them

at least once a week as well throughout the fall and spring months of school. Slomka encourages them to participate in events such as Iceman and other races throughout the biking season. They usually ride through the Stoney Creek Metro Park after school at three o’clock on Wednesday’s. Before they leave for their ride Slomka bends over to pump the tires. He checks all of them to make sure their safe while making jokes causing all the boys to laugh. The wind is blowing and the leaves crinkle under the boy’s tires as they start down the woodsy trail. They seem well prepared for their ride equipped with water, helmets, and sports attire. Slomka started mountain biking three years ago. He was riding through Stoney Creek Metro Park one day when he saw arrows on the ground. “I followed them all the way to the end and almost ran into a race promoter,” Slomka said. “He encouraged me to race so I took his word for it.” This was Slomka’s first year competing in Iceman but he has participated in many other races. His time for Iceman was 02:15:32. “The race was like driving your Ferrari through downtown Rochester at 5 p.m.,” Slomka said. “It was crazy trying to get through, I just kept on wanting to go faster but there were many racers.”

Barber poses with a 4 lbs bass she caught at her grandpas pond. She has been spending her free time catching fish with her friends. (photo by Paige Efting)

by Paige EftingLifestyles Team Senior Darby Barber sits on the floor of her truck bed rummaging through her tackle box. She takes out a worm shaped lure and tosses it aside. She is getting her fishing tackle ready for ice fishing season. “It’s amazing how you can be on the water, with the fish swimming under you,” Barber said. “It’s one of the main reasons why I love ice fishing.” It is time for people to begin getting their poles ready for ice fishing. According to Barber the best time to ice fish is during late December and January, but preparation needs to begin in Nov.. “You need to start preparing for it, like getting all your lures together and making sure you have the right line and stuff,” Barber said as

she examined a jig head lure, making sure it was still usable for this year. Sophomore Jeremy Garvin knows all about getting ready for ice fishing season. He has been ice fishing since he was four years old with his step dad, and fell in love with it. “My step dad took me out on Lake Huron and I loved it since,” Garvin said. Although he loves ice fishing it can also get frustrating. He recalls one time when he could see a whooper of a fish swimming very close to his line. “Once when I was jigging, this huge northern pike, about two feet long, was swimming by my bait,” Garvin said. “I tried to keep moving my bait around to get him back, but fish are very unpredictable,

I’ve had fish that would be still and 3 inches away from my bait and not bite.” Senior Eric Dean knows how frustrating ice fishing can be. He has been ice

fishing for five years now and once almost caught a four foot bass. “I had it out of the water, like it was in my hands,” Dean said. “I could not believe that it literally slipped right through my fingers.” Not only can ice fishing be frustrating it can also be somewhat dangerous. In 1998 there were 22 deaths related to ice fishing. Though out the years although ice fishing is becoming safer, in 2005 there were only four deaths, according to In-Fisherman.com. Even though it has become safer, Barber has had a close call. “As I was walking back I heard a huge crack, and felt the ice dropped

from beneath me,” Barber said. “I had gone by myself that day and was terrified so I crawled to shore on my hands and knees.”

Just because ice fishing can be frustrating and a bit more dangerous, doesn’t mean normal fishing is more fun, according to Barber and Garvin ice fishing is actually better. “Ice fishing is much colder, but you can do a lot more. You can fish in a shanty, you set up jigs, or tip ups, or you can spear them through the holes,” Garvin said. “Normal fishing is just reeling and casting or ’trolling the bottom of the lake’ in a boat.” Barber would have to agree with Garvin, that ice fishing is more fun, and more looked forward to by people, because it doesn’t come around all the time “I think ice fishing is better because ice fishing comes around once a year when it’s cold enough,”Barber said.

Know

What is a Hail Mary in football?

a.) a defensice play where every one gets on their knees to pray b.) An offensive play where the quarterback throws the ball far down the field, hoping someone on his team catches it. c.) a running play where ever one runs toward the end zone

Who is known as ‘the mule’ from the Red Wings?

a.) Johan Franzen b.) Darren Helm c.) Jiri Hudler d.) Jakub Kindl e.) Jonathan Ericsson

Answers:1.E2.D3.B4.A5.D

What time does the boys swim team morning practice start?

a.) 4:30 a.m.b.) 5:00 a.m.c.) 5:30 a.m.d.) 6:00 a.m.e.) 6:30 a.m.

How many hours a week does the varsity cheer team practice on average?

a.) 10 hoursb.) 11 hoursc.) 13 hoursd.) 14 hourse.) 15 hours

Which of the following isn’t a term commonly used in hockey?

the

2

3

4

5

1sport

a.)Icingb.) Off-sidesc.) Danglerd.) Puck Snape.) None

Slomka starts race with six other bikers. He was leading at this point of the race. (photo courtsey of Ryan Slamka)