portage community hs spitfire december 2014
Post on 08-Apr-2016
223 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
COMMUNITY DIALOG
Designing for the future meeting debates
outcomes for CoHS among other schools.
VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS
The volleyball team is starting the season
o� undefeated.
STAFF EDITORIAL: Ferguson
Race riots are sweeping the nation, but is
this the best solution?
iPHONE EMOJI
We got 99 emoji and can understand none.
PRO-CON
Employers use social media to determine
hiring and � ring. Should they?
SELFIE NATION
What’s on your social media, and how can it
impact your life and your future?
MOCKINGJAY REVIEW
How does the newest installment of the
Hunger Games franchise stack up?
7
12
15
16
18
19
22
Page 12 Page 8
Page 7
PAGE 02
Page 15
This editon marks the conti-
nation of something really spe-
cial: the Spitfire in print. After
a nearly two-year period of on-
line-exclusive content, we are
proud to present the new and
improved Spitfire, which will
publish monthly.
The move to print was not
random or accidental and we
would like to thank the individ-
uals that made it happen. First
and foremost, we would like to
thank our principal, Mr. Wag-
ner, for purchasing the software
that we need to publish the pa-
per. We would also like to thank
our building tech helper, Diane
Gottschalk, for installing the
software and helping us with
multiple computer and electrici-
ty issues. Last but not least, we
want to thank Mr. Neal and the
staff of the Portage Northern
Light for helping us learn the
basics of inDesign and willingly
answering any questions that
we might have.
As we move forward with this
process, we hope that you enjoy
both our print production and
our online component. Different
students work on both publica-
tions, so the content is original
and fresh in each. If you have any
suggestions for improvement,
please don’t hesitate to come
out to Portable 3 and talk to us!
Enjoy!
PAG
E 0
3FROM THE STAFF
STAFF2014-2015
Tristen Gunnett, Editor in Chief
Andy Wolf, Photography
Brian Lang
Ella Rootes
Dominic Jacobs
Nicole Anderson
Jalen Hooper
Josh VanOstran
Matt Ballard
Kali Hazell
Jasmine Muhammad
Mike Carlton
Chris Noel
Malachi Jones
Editorial policy and
additional infoThe Spit# re is the student news publication of
Portage Community High School, an alternative
high school in Portage Public Schools serving
students from Kalamazoo County.
The news sta$ welcomes student submissions,
responses to articles, and letters to the editor.
All submissions should be school appropriate.
Students can bring their material to portable 3 or
email it toto portagecommunityspit# re@gmail.com.
The Spit# re maintains high standards of ethics
and integrity and adheres to the MIPA Code of
Ethics and Plagiarism Policy.
From your editor TRISTEN GUNNETT
Social MediaConnect with us on social media today!
Want more?Check out our website at www.portagecommunityspitfire.com for expanded articles, links to further resources, and online-only exclusives!
Join the conversation online
in social media!
Twitter and Instagram:
@CoHSspit# re
On Facebook:
Portage Community Spit# re
BreakingNEWS
&EVENTS
when you need them
PAG
E 0
4NEWS IN BRIEF
PORTAGE CENTRAL RE-ADDMITED THE
STUDENT WHO WAS FEATURED ON THE
NEWS WHO WROTE A “HIT LIST” AFTER A
THOROUGH PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION
TO ENSURE STUDENT SAFETY
Highlight
Terrorists threaten sony
pictures and force
showing of new movie ‘the
interview.’ Starring Seth Rogan
and James Franco this movie
is based on two men who are
tasked with the assasination
of North Korea leader Kim
Jong-Un. The hacker statement
reads: “how bitter fate those
who seek fun in terror should
be doomed to.... the world will
be full of fear. Remember the
11th of September 2001.” This
threat has put police officers
throughout the nation on alert.
“God is great,” the Taliban
militants shouted as
they roared through the
hallways of a school in
Peshawar, Pakistan. “ A
lot of the children are
under the benches,’“ a
Pakistani Taliban said,
according to Ahmed. “
Kill them.’ “ Just one of
the many terrifying things
children and staff at Army
Public School after it was
bombed tuesday morning.
President Obama
plans to ‘normalize’
relations between
communist Cuba and
U.S.A.
An important meeting
is being held in Lansing
for a decition regarding
Michigan road funding.
Six people killed in
deadly shooting in
Phillidelphia, Manhunt
for Marine Bradley
Stone followed
President Obama signs
massive spending
bill to fund U.S
government through
2015.
The FBI has joined local
and state authorities to
investigate the death
and burning of Jessica
Chambers.
Lansing officials
declaired that a
Satanic Christmas
display will be allowed
for 3 days a week until
christmas.
Better Business
Bureau warns of
Consumer Energy
Scam in midwest
region.
Jakell Mitchell,
freshman at Auburn
college, was shot
dead in an off campus
appartment.
BY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
ony
Brookelyn Skillman is a wonderful example of PBIS in
our school. She is here every day with a smile upon
her face and an enthusiastic “Good morning” for
everyone. She is on time to her classes and consistently
maintains A’s and B’s. She is also a member of our school
volleyball team and student leadership. “Brookelyn is an
excellent example of being positive and productive every
day,” shared Jen Swank and Clint Wagner.
Jaylan Whitley is a senior, and is a leader around school. “
In all my years of teaching, there is nobody who
has shown the persistence that Jaylan does in
the classroom. Jaylan is awesome,” said Court-
ney Jasiak.
Duane Underwood brings quality to society
and contributes his e� orts, skills and knowl-
edge to improve his life and the lives of other
people. “I am privileged to have such delight-
ful student in my class. I am sure he will con-
tinue to serve as positive example to his peers,”
shared Jose Vigil.
Tristen Gunnett consistently is a leader in class
by answering questions, participating in dis-
cussions, asking thoughtful questions, and
helping other students when they have ques-
tions. Tristen cares deeply about his grades and
aims for all As. He turns in all of his assignments
and is just overall a fantastic student. Tristen also has a lot of
school pride that he shows through his love of journalism
and the activities that he has helped the journalism class do
such, as the posters for open house. “Tristen has high ambi-
tions in life and with his attitude I think he will accomplish
them,” shared Jen Treharne.
Sierra Stevens is the perfect example of PBIS by always be-
ing here, on time, positive and productive. She is also always
helpful to other students, whether it is letting them borrow
notes or helping answer questions. She is a complete joy to
have in class. “Sierra is one of the hardest working students
I had this last term,” explained Mr. Shanafelt.
Kyra Donald was new this year and the � rst day I met her she
was scared. I will never forget the look on her face and our
conversation on her � rst day!” Andrea Ramsdell laughed.
She started to turns things around quickly, however. Now
she smiles all the time and she wants to help out in class
all the time, from organizing the room to popcorn making.
She is an amazing student and glad she joined our family at
Community High.
Sierra Stevens is one of the hardest working students I had
this last term,” said Michelle Rowlson. She is the perfect
example of PBIS by always being here, on time, positive
and productive. Sierra is always helpful to other students,
whether it is letting them borrow notes or helping answer
questions.
Isaiah Erskine has 100% in both Seminar and English C. He
works very hard to maintain the grades he has in my class-
es. This is his � rst term at Community High and has already
become a leader. He has a positive in� uence on others in
English C and keeps them on task. “I am impressed with his
politeness. Whenever he receives anything, candy, donut
list nomination, or Panther Bucks, he always says thank you
and is very appreciative,” said LuAnn Relken.
Kali Hazell is an exceptional role model. She al-
ways goes above and beyond in class and leads
by example. She reads out loud for her classmates
daily and participates actively in discussion. She
also never hesitates to help others. “On top of all
that, she is always here, on time, super positive,
and productive!” shared Amanda Thorpe.
Shane Huver was only here for one term, but he
had straight A’s. “I’ve had a chance to talk to him
in volleyball, including when he attended the
Central/Northern game with his teammates. Be-
sides being an outstanding athlete, he also has
clear goals for himself, including attending KVCC
and then WMU to study social work. When dis-
cussing his college, his words really moved me
- “this is an opportunity I don’t intend to waste,”
shared Kathy Ha.
Zach Valenzuela demonstrates the qualities set forth by
PBIS. He is here, always on time, makes good use of his time
in class, and with the exception of public speaking always
gets his work done on time. He has been helpful to other
students and stays every day until 2:50 without complaint.
Even when he’s not having the greatest day, he strives to be
positive. “I couldn’t ask for more,” said Terri Adriance.
PAG
E 0
5NEWS
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SEE ALL OF THE
PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT
Students of the Month BY KALI HAZELL, STAFF WRITER
VI
LefLefLefLefLefLefLefLefLefLefLefLefLeft tt tt tt to ro ro ro righighighighighighight, t, t, t, t, t, Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’Ke’OnnOnnOnnOnnOnnOnnOnnah ah ah ah ah ah ah BerBerBerBerBerBerBerBerBerBerBerBerry,ry,ry,ry,ry,ry,ry,ry, Ka Ka Ka Ka Kali li li HazHazHazHazellellell, J, J, J, Jalealealealealealealen Hn Hn Hn Hn Hn Hn Hn Hoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopoopooper, Is Is Is Is Is Is Is Is Isaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiaaiah Eh Eh Eh Eh Eh Erskrskrskrskrskrskrskrskineineineineineineineineineineineineine, a, a, a, and nd nd nd nd ShaShaShaShane ne ne ne HuvHuvHuver.er.er.er.er. Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Photootootootootootootootootootootootootootootootooto
by by by by by by by by by by by by AndAndAndAndAndy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wolfolfolfolfolfolf
PAG
E 0
6NEWS
Self-harm is a serious problem among today’s teens.
In fact, as many as 1 in 5 teens admits to having
resorted to self-harm in the last six months. Self-
harm can take many forms, but the most common are
cutting, burning, or interfering with normal wound heal-
ing (picking scabs).
CoHS student Devon Holroyd has experienced � rst
hand the devastation of self-harm. “I used to self-harm
because I was very, very depressed,” he shared. “I have
learned other ways to get by, but a lot of my friends still
have problems,” he said. As more and more of Holroyd’s
friends came to him for help, he saw the need to create
a resource that could help individuals struggling with
self-harm.
And so the Facebook page “CHEO,” or “Cutters Hurt Every-
one” was born. The group provides support and resourc-
es for people who have have participated in self-harm
and especially for those who are still participating. “Lots
of cutters feel hopeless or alone, so the group shows
them that they are never alone and that other people
have been in their shoes. Most importantly, it shows that
people notice them and care about them.”
When making the site, Devon worked with school psy-
chologist Larry Stankus to provide the most helpful in-
formation. “Self harm is a major issue with teenagers,” he
said. “It’s usually caused by stress between family and
other relationships as well as bullying in school. It’s best
to go to someone who may help, even if its just talking
to someone who shows concern.” To see Devon’s page,
just search “CHEO” on Facebook.
Student creates support group for peers
“Lines” movement hits CoHS
During the week of December 15-20, students at
CoHS showed support for those who live the
reality of self-harm by participating in the na-
tion-wide “Lines Project.”
Awareness of the initiative was spread by Devin Holy-
royd, who also created the Facebook group “CHEO”, or
“Cutters Hurt Every One.” The Lines Project encourages
those who have committed self harm to draw lines on
their left wrist, while supporters of people who self harm
draw the lines on their right arm. The lines are supposed
to be multi-colored and in permanent marker.
“I wanted to bring awareness to this topic because the
more people I talk to here the more people I discover
have a past of self-harm,” Holroyd shared.
Many students joined Holroyd in this awareness cam-
paign. “Having your scars is one thing, you can’t make
those go away. But the lines are empowering because
you can put them on and take them o� ,” said Ella Rootes.”
“I liked the day because it showed that you aren’t alone
if you’ve gone through this before,” shared Charissa Ro-
man. “Sometimes you feel like a freak, but I saw that lots
of other people had been through it too.”
BY ELLA ROOTES, STAFF WRITER
BY BRANDON PARSONS, STAFF WRITER
DevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevDevon on HolHolroyroyroyroyd sd sd sd sd sd sd sd startartartartartartartartedtedtedted CH CH CH CH CHEO EO EO EO to to to helhelhelhelp hp hp hp hp hp hp hp hp hp hp hp his is is is frifrifriendendendendendendendendendends as as as as as as as and peepeepeepeepeepeepeers.rs.rs.rs.rs.rs.rs. P P P P Phothothothoto o o
by by by by by by by by by by by AndAndy Wy Wolf
DevDevDevDevin in in in HolHolHolHolHolHolroyroyroyroyroyd sd sd sd showhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhowhows os os os os os o� � � � � � hishishishis linesnes. H. H. H. He ae ae ae ae ae ae alsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolsolso or or or or or or organganganganganganganganganganganganganganganganganizeizeizeizeizeizeizeizeizeized other sr studtudtudentents s s
to to to to dradradradraw tw tw tw themhemhemhem on on on on on th th th th th th th themsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemsemselvelvelvelvelvelvelvelvelvelves.es.es.es.es.es.es.es.es.es.es. Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Ph Photootootootootootootootootootootootootooto by by by by by by by by by by by by by by by by An An An An An An Andy dy dy dy dy dy dy dy WolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolf. f. f. f. f. f. f.
PAG
E 0
7NEWS
The Portage Community met November 20,
2014 for part 2 of 2 of the Portage School
Community Dialogue. Similar to the previ-
ous dialogue, the meeting took place at nighttime
within a two hour span and from the start showed
the enthusiasm of the community.
Taking place in Portage Central High School, the
cafeteria was � lled with diverse members of the
community such as teachers, parents, adminis-
trators, and even a few students who showed
up for the meeting. This group included people
who had atetnded the meeting in October as well
as people participating for the � rst time. In addi-
tion, over 1,000 people had voiced their opinion
through an online survey.
Similar to the last meeting, the room was sur-
rounded by poster boards with categories for
questions, comments, and concerns. The local
news stations, such as Fox 17 news, also made
an appearance The purpose of the � rst meeting
was to for the community leaders and parents/
students to make an attempt at designing a plan
for the future of Portage Public Schools, and the
purpose of the second meeting was to take all of
the data from the � rst meeting and re� ne it.
Much like the � rst meeting, particpants � lled out
an individual and a group survey.
The meeting started out with head speaker Bill
DeYoung, who showed information pertaining to
the � nancial needs and desires pertaining to dif-
ferent situations.
Next, Randy Van Antwerp, President of the Por-
tage Public Schools Board of Education spoke
saying, “This needs to be something we want, but
more importantly it needs to be something we
can a� ord.”
One heated disagreement was about whether or
not there should be one or two pools, and one or
two stadiums. These discussions were both split
pretty equally with half saying they wanted two
of both and the other half saying one is just � ne.
On the other hand one thing was decided and
agreed upon by almost everyone. People want en-
ergy e� cient, safe & secure, and technology rich
schools. Di� erent scenarios were also introduced
as to what should be done with the several out-
dated buldings left in Portage.
CoHs is one of the many schools in the district
that is over 50 years old and has had very few
renovations done within that time span. The fu-
ture of the building was mentioned, but not gone
into in detail as that particular project will be set
aside until decisions about the middle schools are
complete.
The Steering Committee made its formal recom-
mendations to the school board after the meet-
ing. They recommended eliminating one of the
aging elementary schools and building, instead, 4
new ones. They also recommended to repurpose
West Middle School and have just two middle
schools, North and Central. This would allow for
a more convenient sharing of services, facilities,
and sta� s between the middle and high schools.
Both middle schools will receive either a serious
renovation or, most likely, new construction.
The committee also recommended that each
campus (Northern and Central) receive its own,
brand new football stadium and aquatic facility.
West Middle School will be the new home of Curi-
ous Kids and Community Education.
The future of Community HS is uncertain, but
the most likely scenario is that a building will be
erected on Northern’s campus to accomodate
our growing program and also to provide a useful
facility for the community to use after hours.
There is growing controversy over all of the facili-
ties plans as the West Middle School community
is displeased over the possibility of losing a school
and is being very vocal about it. Follow the discus-
sions live on MLive and the Spit� re website.
Community Dialogue #2 provides guidanceBY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
TheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheThe Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Po Portartartartartartartartartartartartartage ge ge ge ge ge ge ge ge ge ge ge ge PubPubPubPubPubPubliclicliclic Sc Sc Sc Sc Schoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohools ls ls ls ls ls ls ls ls ls ls ls ls BoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoaBoard rd rd rd rd of of of of of of of of of of EduEduEduEducatcatcatcatcationionionionionionionionion. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. Phothothothothothothoto courtesy y
of of of of of of of of of of PPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPSPPS..
PAG
E 0
8NEWS
On Monday, October 27, 2014 over 200
teachers, students, and parents of the
Portage Public School district took to the
streets in an energetic and spirited protest for
the lack of contracts for the teachers.
Almost 500 teachers have been working without
a contract since the month of June, and with no
ending in sight the community took to the streets
to voice their opposition.
“I think it is an amazing protest and I don’t know
why it’s taking so much time to get them what they
need and deserve as teachers,” Stated Nicole An-
derson, former Central High School student and
current CoHS enrollee. Molly Brown, a Portage
Central student who helped organize the protest
after coming up with the idea, commented: “Our
teachers have always been supportive of us. We
hope the administration sees just how much we
value our teachers and see that they should value
them too.”
According to the president of the Portage Edu-
cation Association Eric VerHey, “teachers are fed
up; they haven’t been given a raise in four years.”
In contrast, administration was given an across
the board raise of 1.2 percent in 2014.
Teachers are also protesting the added time onto
the school day (as well as three whole additional
days) without an adjustment in compensation.
The teacher’s union initially threatened to sue the
district for violating their rights, and the district
then threatened to counter-sue for bad faith bar-
gaining. The district is currently in negotiations
with the union to try and reach a solution. Portage
Superintendent Mark Bielang recently comment-
ed, “Portage Public Schools administration and
the teachers’ union have already agreed to many
items [through negotiations].” Information on the
current status of negotiations can be found here.
Some people nationally frown upon teacher’s
unions in general because they view the job al-
ready as having an abundance of bene� ts, such
as 7:00-3:00 workdays and summers o� . Many
teachers, however, go far above and beyond their
contractual obligations.
For example, CoHS teachers are expected to
be here –and are paid to be here- from 7:20-
3:00 daily. It is not uncommon, however, to see
teachers here hours beyond their 3:00 dismiss-
al time. They use that time, which they are not
compensated for, to help students who want to
stay after as well as to plan for classes and grade
work. CoHS teachers do not have a planning pe-
riod like the teachers at the other high schools
in the district because they give up that hour so
the students can have classes during that time to
recover more credits.
Unbeknownst to many, CoHS teachers are also
on a di� erent pay scale than other teachers in
the district, which results in a majority of them
making less money, essentially for more contact
time with students, than the sta� at the other
high schools.
CoHS teachers are not a part of the teacher’s
union, but it is assumed –and hoped- that they will
see any salary
increases that the other teachers in the district
receive.
The day after the protest, the teacher’s union and
the district entered negotiations and were able to
come to an agreement regarding fair compensa-
tion.
In March, they will receive a step increase, a lane
change, and an overall percentage pay increase.
The elementary school day is also getting short-
ened by two minutes.
CoHS teachers, however, did not get the bene� ts
of this negiation. They have since entered formal
talks with the district about the possibility of being
placed on the same pay scale as other district
teachers in the future.
Students and teachers protest unfair pay BY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
TeaTeaTeaTeaTeaTeaTeachechechechechechechers rs ralralralralrally ly ly ly forforfor un un un un un un un un un un un un un unfaifaifaifaifaifaifair pr pr pr pr pay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in frofrofrofrofront nt nt nt nt nt nt nt nt of of of of PorPorPorPorPorPortagtagtagtagtagtagtage Ce Ce Ce Ce Ce Ce Ce Ce Ce Cententententral High gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh
SchSchSchSchSchSchSchoolooloolool. P. P. P. Phothothothothoto bo bo bo by Ay Ay Ay Ay Andrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrndrew ew ew ew ew WolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolWolf. f. f. f. f. f. f. f.
PAG
E 0
9IN THEIR WORDS
“I AM DETERMINED TO BE CHEERFUL AND HAPPY IN WHAT-
EVER SITUATION I MAY FIND MYSELF. FOR I HAVE LEARNED
THAT THE GREATER PART OF OUR MISERY OR UNHAPPINESS
IS DETERMINED NOT BY OUR CIRCUMSTANCE BUT BY OUR
DISPOSITION.” - MARTHA WASHINGTON
“IT IS NOT HOW MUCH WE HAVE, BUT HOW MUCH WE EN-
JOY, THAT MAKES HAPPINESS.” -CHARLES SPURGEON
“HAPPINESS IS NOT
SOMETHING READY
MADE. IT COMES FROM
YOUR OWN ACTIONS.”
-DALAI LAMA
“HAPPINESS IS WHEN
WHAT YOU THINK, WHAT
YOU SAY, AND WHAT YOU
DO ARE IN HARMONY.” -
MAHATMA GHANDI
WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
BY ANDY WOLF, PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
EMANUEL PERRY:
“Football makes me
happy.”
HANNAH EATON:
“French fries make
me happy.”
MALUMBOCHISOWE:
“Hanging out with
friends makes me
happy.”
SYDNEY WILLI:
“Writing is what
makes me happy. I
write a lot.”
BRI DELORENZO:
“Shopping makes me
happy.”
MAXWELL BEAN:
“Making other people
happy is what makes
me happy.”
PAG
E 1
0 THREE BY THREE
three three
by
BY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
Alyson Buchino
12th
Zac Knapp
11th
Isaiah Erskine
9th
1. What is your favorite social media app/website?
2. What is your favorite song right now?
3. Who is your favorite sports player/team?
“Believe Me” by Lil WaynePeyton Manning as a player, but the
Lionsn as a team
“Trust Issues” by Drake 3. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins
“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift University of Michigan anything!
BY JASMINE VANOSTRAN, STAFF WRITER
PAG
E 1
1FOCUS
1What was life like after
that?
It was really hard. I was still
bleeding from having her
when I went back to work to
get money to support us. I
had a seasonal job packing
watermelon and it was real-
ly demanding. I was also go-
ing to school at Loy Norrix,
so I would go to school all
day, go to work right after,
come home late at night,
get Esmer from her dad’s
house, basically be with her
while she slept, and then
get up early and do it all
over again. She cried a lot
because she needed me
and missed me.
2How old is your daughter,
Esmeralda?
Two and a half
8What were you feeling at
the time?
I was terri� ed to tell my
mom, so much that I
couldn’t sleep. When I
did tell her, she was really
great. She was very sup-
portive and never got mad.
9Did your feelings change
when your daughter was
born?
Absolutely. It was the hap-
piest day of my life. It was
also very scary though, I
mean here I was at just 15
holding this brand new baby.
10Did being a mom in� uence
your decision to come to
CoHS?
De� nitely. Daycare was
di� erent at Loy Norrix,
you could have a spot one
week but not the next, and
navigating DHS was di� cult.
The daycare situation here
is a lot easier and it helps
me be at school.
5Do you want more chil-
dren eventually?
Someday when I have my
education and a career I
would like to get married
and have more kids. I think
it would be nice for Esmer
to have brothers and sis-
ters but I am de� nitely not
ready for that yet!
6How is being a young
mom di� erent now that
she’s older?
It’s a lot easier and so much
better. She can tell me when
something’s wrong instead of
just crying, and day care is
easier to come by because
more people will watch a
toddler than a newborn.
7How long did you stay
with Esmer’s father?
A year after she was born,
but we had also been to-
gether for 3 years before
that. We are still friends and
are on good terms. He gets
Esmer every other weekend.
4How old were you when
you had her?
I was 14 when I got preg-
nant and 15 when I had
her. Instead of a quinceane-
ra, I had a baby shower.3What goals do
you have for
your future?
Graduating high
school of
course,
and
then
going
to Ross
Medical.
My sister
went
there to be
a Medical
Assistant and
she is my
role model.
She went
from barely
getting her GED
at 20 to having
her own apart-
ment and car
and a great life
all around. She
inspires me.
Focus on Lily and Esmer Villanueva
With the Clark Brothers
At left, Matt joins his brother Dan on
a controlled burn to celebrate his birth-
day. Alright, Josh pitches for Portage
Central. Photos from the Clark Family.
Teachers will tell you that it’s not uncommon to see
families of students come through community high
school, but CoHS has actually seen all of the Clark chil-
dren at one time or another.
The oldest brother, Dan, graduated from CoHS in 2013.
He currently works at Uncle Ed’s while he takes a leave
of absences from the South Kalamazoo County Fire
Authority, where he has worked as a ! re! ghter since
graduation. During his time o" , he is attending KVCC
in hopes of becoming an electrician.
The middle brother, Matt, is a senior at CoHS this year.
“I didn’t take school seriously Freshman year, so I came
here for credit recovery,” he explained. He plans to grad-
uate from here as he is very close and doesn’t want to
switch schools again. “What I like the most about CoHS
is that all of the teachers and sta" are here to help you
and really want to help; you can tell it’s not just their
job.” Matt’s ! rst choice of post-high school options is
to South Carolina UTI to be a Nascar technician. If that
doesn’t happen, he would like to be a truck driver.
The youngest, Josh, is a sophomore and is only here
for two terms. He came here after a leave of absence
at CHS left him de! cient in credits. “I had my appen-
dix removed and missed about a month of school,” he
explained. “My counselor at Central suggested that I
could come here for credit recovery, and both of my
brothers had already been here and had good things
to say about it, so I jumped on the opportunity.”
Josh has really enjoyed his time at CoHS. “It is a lot
more easy going here, but I still feel like I am learning
all of the same things,” he commented. Even though he
likes it here, he won’t be staying. After the conclusion
of term 2, Josh will return to Portage Central. His main
motivation for returning is athletics. “I have been play-
ing baseball since I was 4, and I really want to be a part
of the team again this year,” he explained. He plans on
graduating with his class in 2017 and is determined to
become a KDPS police o# cer after high school.
He recently got accepted into the KDPS Explorers pro-
gram, which prepares high school students for ac areer
with the police force. He was selected from many can-
didates to get the opportunity to participate in a wide
variety of hands-on training exercised. “It’s a great op-
portunity that will prepare me for the future,” he said.
BY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
CHECK THE SPITFIRE WEBSITE’S L&S
PAGE FOR WEB EXCLUSIVE UPDATES ON
JOSH’S BASEBALL SEASON AT CHSPA
GE
12
FOCUS
The
P a n -
thers have
played in three
away games so far this
year, the � rst being in Jones-
ville, where the team played and de-
feated the teams from Phoenix Alternative
High School and Jonesville.
For the ladies teams, the Panthers
won two of the three matches played
and therefore won the respective game for
ladies with exceptional serves by Alyson Buchino
, Sierra Stevens, and, Kali Hazell. The Panthers lost
one game 14-25; the other two games were won
with scores of 25-22 and 15-12. For the men’s team,
there were three games and all were dominated
by the Panthers with excellence in setting by both
Jalen Hooper and Isaiah Erskine. The men’s team got
straight scores of 25-17, 25-21, and 15-11, winning
all three matches in their division and thus winning
the entire game for the Panthers. The Panthers fol-
lowed up this strong performance with tournament
victories in Owosso. The girls were victorious with
scores of 25-15, 25-11, and 25-15. The Open team
won with scores of 25-5, 25-11, and 25-16. The boys
played just one game and won by a score of 25-14.
Standout players for these games were Kali Hazell,
Jalen Hooper, and Keoshi Robinson. “They have
amazing talents and they understand the game, but
they all stand out in their own way,” coach Ha said
of her team. “If they can get past their mental game,
then they can beat their physical game.” The Pan-
thers are in action next in January.
Volleyball team starts the season undefeatedDue to superior serving, setting, and teamwork, the Panthers have yet to record an “L” in the season scorebook
BY ANDY WOLF, PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
PAGE FOR WEB EXCLUSIVE UPDATES ON
PAG
E 1
3OUR SPORTS
HEADLINE
Ms. Ha, the coach of the
CoHS volleyball team,
chooses a person as
“Volleyball Player of The Week”
every week. She prints out an
award signed by herself and a
t-shirt with a di! erent quote on
it every week. There have been
several volleyball players of the
week so far this year, but why
were they chosen?
Coach Ha explained the selec-
tion pricess. She answered, “I
have chosen the people I did
because I saw them stand out.
They showed leadership and
acceptance. They put in all the
e! ort they could, and tried their
hardest to improve on whatever
they could. These students mo-
tivated each other and the rest
of the team. They overcame per-
sonal problems and put in 110%
of their e! ort for the team and
that is worth something.”
“It is my job as coach to recog-
nize a team player and let them
know that they are good at what
they do and that someone had
seen their improvments and
their e! ort towards being a
team player” She added.
Here are the players of the week
so far as well as why they were
chosen:
Jalen Hooper: “He was motivat-
ing teammates to do better in
class, and encouraging them to
push to become the best that
they could be.”
Isaiah Erskine: “He learned the
game quickly. Isaiah always
pushed himself to become a
better player on the court and a
better person in general.”
Darius Jennings: “He really en-
joys motivating others to give
their physical and mental best.”
Sierra Stevens: “Her team spirit
is some of the best team spirit I
have ever seen!”
Brookelyn Skillman: “Honest-
ly, she is Skillman. There is not
much else I can say!”
LaShay WIlliams: “She turned
down a trip to Florida to play
volleyball. If that is not a student
who is dedicated, I don’t know
what would be!”
Kali Hazell: “I have seen a huge
change in her passion for the
game. Her focus has improved
greatly and her aggressiveness
has really made her a great per-
son to have on the team.”
Allyson Buchino: “When game
day comes, she is a soldier. Div-
ing for the ball and saving the
game is de# nitely her specialty.”
“Acknowledging these students
really improves the way they
think about the game and how
they think about themselves. It
de# nitely improves their self es-
teem while they are playing the
game, it makes them work hard-
er to become who they really
want to be on the court.” Coach
Ha said.
PLAYER OF THE WEEKKALI HAZELL, STAFF WRITER
Keep up with scores, highlights,
and videos of the volleyball team
on the newspaper’s website
BroBroBrookeokelynlynlynlyn Sk Sk Sk Sk Sk Skillillillillillillillillillmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanmanman Shay Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Wy Williamiamiamiamiamiamssssss AlyAlyAlyAlyAlysonsonsonsonsonsonson Buchichinononono IsaIsaIsaIsaIsaIsaIsaiahiahiahiahiahiahiah Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er Er ErskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskiskineneneneneneneneSieSieSieSieSieSieSieSierrarrarrarrarrarrarrarra St St St St St St St Steveeveeveeveeveeveevensnsnsns
AllAllAllAllAllAllAllAll ph ph ph ph ph ph ph photootootootootootootootootos bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs bs by Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Ay Andyndyndyndyndyndyndyndyndyndy Wo Wo Wo Wo Wo Wo Wo Wo Wolflflflflflf
PAG
E 1
4OUR SPORTS
LIONS VS. CARDINALS
In week 11 in the National Football League the
Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals went into
a heavyweight title match on Sunday evening.
Despite the fact that the Cardinals are widely con-
sidered the best team in pro-football right now,
the score was pretty close. In the end, it was
14-6 in favor of the Cardinals.
In the ! rst two possessions that the Cardinals
got, they scored with two Drew Stanton passes
to Michael Floyd. Stanton is a Michigan native,
having grown up in Okemos, playing his college
ball at Michigan State, and even playing 4 years
with the Lions before joining the Jets and Colts
enroute to the Cardinals.
Defensively, the Lions came up with 2 huge inter-
ceptions but failed to convert either into a touch-
down. On o" ense, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson
had ! ve catches on the day for 59 yards.Usually
Megatron has a dominant e" ect on the ! eld, but
Patrick Peterson held him to just 4 yards in the
! rst quarter! The standout for Detroit in this game
was actually Joique Bell, who had 14 carries for
85 yards. The Lions’ only points came from two
! eld goals o" the foot of new kicker Matt Prater,
who is the third kicker the Lions have used this
season.
A controversial punt-return call swung in the Car-
dinal’s favor to start the 4th quarter and the Li-
ons were unable to close the gap. The loss put
an end to a 4-game Lions win streak as the Car-
dinals showed why they have the best record in
the league with a solid overall performance. Their
special teams showed discipline with no calls or
penalties and the o" ense was de! nitely showing
the best of the playbook. As has been the case all
season, their secondary proved to be the heart of
their team and key to their success.
The Cardinals with this win are 9-1 which shows their
dominance in the league. In the 2009-2010 season, the
Cardinals went to the Super Bowl; time will tell if their
record will hold up and get them back to the Super Bowl.
LIONS VS. BEARS
The Lions and Bears had a GREAT Thanksgiving
game. Most expected the Bears to beat the Li-
ons. Johnson caught 11 passes for 146 yards
with a pair of ! rst-half touchdowns, and the Lions
boosted their postseason hopes with a 34-17 vic-
tory over the Chicago Bears.
The Lions (8-4) spotted Chicago a 14-3 ! rst-quar-
ter lead before rallying with relative ease in the
second. Detroit ! nished with a season-high 474
yards in its highest-scoring game since a 35-14
victory over the New York Giants. Lions Quarter-
back Matthew Sta" ord now has 12 career dou-
ble-digit comebacks, 2nd most in the NFL since
he entered the league in 2009.
Unlike the previous week, Calvin Johnson made a giant
impact on the game. With 11 receptions for 146 yards, he
made it look easy. He has over 700 receiving yards and
49 receptions on the season. With only 5 touchdowns
this year, 2 of them came from the Thanksgiving thriller.
With one of the division rivalry games against the Bears
behind them, they’re looking to defeat the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers this Sunday.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Michigan sports are everywhere this year. The
Wolverines did horrible in football; their record
was 5-7 which, wasn’t even enough to qualify for
a bowl game.
The Spartans are doing a whole lot better in football;
they are going 10-2 and are in the Cotton Bowl against
#4 Baylor. This will take place on January 1, 2015.
Our local WMU Broncos have had the biggest turn
around in school history, and led by MAC Coach of the
Year Nominee PJ Fleck they are getting ready to take on
Air Force in the Idaho Potato Bowl on December 23. The
Broncos have never won a bowl game, but this could be
the year that all changes.
With the exception of the Wolverines, Michigan’s college football teams had standout seasons. The same is true also for the Lions, who are trying to secure a divisional win and a playo" berth.
BY JALEN HOOPER, STAFF WRITER
PAG
E 1
5NATIONAL SPORTS
TheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheTheThe WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WM WMU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU BU Bronronronroncoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscoscos ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar ar are “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “e “rowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowrowinginginginginginginginging th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be boa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa”oa” ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag ag againainainainainainainst st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st st thethethethethethethethethethethethethethetheir oppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppoppopponeoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneoneonentsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsntsnts. . .
PhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoPhoto to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to forforfor pr pr pr pr pr pr pr pr pr pressessessessessessessessessessessessessessessessessessess us us us us us us us us us us us us us us us us us use be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be be by Jy Jy Jy Jy Jy Jy Jy Johnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohnohn Lackockockockockockockockockockockockockockockockocko, W, W, WMU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU MU AthAthAthAthAthAthAthAthAthletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletleticsicsicsicsicsicsicsicsics
HEADLINE
Ferguson:
a verdict
decided,
a city in riots
Thanksgiving is an opportunity to gather with family and
friends in gratitude for our blessings and good fortune.
The family of Michael Brown is one of many with an
empty seat at the table this year, and that fact alone is dev-
astatingly sad. His family, looking for closure, did not receive
that either, or at least not on their terms. Despite these tragic
facts and the emotions that are rocking our nation, the case
is getting blown way out of proportion and has created a na-
tional race crisis that does not need to exist.
Our police should feel free to protect themselves and other
civilians in the best way possible because only then will they
do the best job they can possibly do. The world is rarely ever
black and white, and sometimes police o! cers have to make
tough, split-second decisions. Darren Wilson was just a police
o! cer doing his job to the best of his ability who found him-
self in a tough spot and forced to make a decision that none
of us would want to make. At the end of the day, he is the
one who has to live with the death of Michael Brown on his
conscience, not us. Several news outlets have reported that
Brown was overly aggressive toward the o! cer and that he
fought until his hands were bloody. Wilson reported that the
boy was so angry that he “looked like a demon.” Also, the size
di" erential between the two men was so great that Wilson
taking on Brown in a # ght would have been like a kid trying
to take down Hulk Hogan. Even though Brown didn’t have a
weapon like a gun or a knife, he still chose to come at Wilson
and he should have known the potential consequences of as-
saulting a police o! cer when he had the chance to walk away
and deescalate the situation.
Nobody except the grand jury has seen the evidence, and if
we believe in the rule of law in America, we have to believe
that after they saw it, their decision was justi# ed. They did not
indict the o! cer because he wasn’t in the wrong. He only did
what saved himself and served justice despite the controver-
sy. Clearly there was no racial prejudice in shooting of Brown
and there should really be no reason to think so.
The people of Ferguson might feel wounded and insulted,
but they still have no right to react the way they did. Pure an-
archy and personal drive, these rage-# lled riots are only insti-
gated due to race. If a white teen had been shot, would the
exact same citizens who are rioting now still be rioting then?
That is a question that is too scary to answer. Not to mention
other towns in America have handled themselves with much
greater control in the face of perceived injustice. For example,
When Zimmerman shot Martin and got o" practically free, no
one rioted. Ransacking a town and creating a state of emer-
gency is no way to protest the jury’s decision.
Some people are even calling this a renewed Civil Rights
movement, which is just insulting to history. This isn’t even
close to the civil rights movement. Nobody is getting hosed,
attacked by dogs, or lynched. Michael Brown had the right to
be in the convenience store he robbed with white people. The
crime as not racially motivated; the boy wouldn’t stop # ght-
ing so the o! cer felt that he had to resort to violence. If Fergu-
son citizens want to liken this to the civil rights movement, it
would do them well to take a page from Martin Luther King’s
book and stand up through non-violent, civilized protest.
Many media outlets are making a big deal out of the fact that
most of the citizens of Ferguson are black, but the govern-
ment and police force are white. If the community wanted a
change and if racial pro# ling was truly a problem there, why
aren’t there more African Americans # ghting positively for
power and political in$ uence in Ferguson? We have tons of
wonderful African American leaders all over the Kalamazoo
community; why aren’t there black leaders in places of prom-
inence in Ferguson, especially if they are the majority race?
This would be one sure-# re way to ensure equality for all.
Is there a better option? Probably. Is it sad that a life was lost?
Always. But what will be more sad is if, as a nation, we con-
tinue to run in circles around this issue, or worse, move back-
wards, instead of moving forward with unity and purpose and
addressing the bigger issue of a culture of violence among
young people today.
PAG
E 1
6STAFF EDITORIAL
The debate over gun rights sizzles at CoHS
How do CoHS students feel about the right to keep and bear arms?
Dustin McCoy:
“Guns are important for hobies and
self-defense. Guns don’t kill people,
other people do.”
Nick Rance
“States with open carry laws actually
have lower crime rates, so obviously its
a good thing if people are responsible.”
Sydney Willi
“It’s important for people to have the
right to protect themselves in whatever
way they want to.”
Demetrious Xayphanna:
“Having a gun is faster than calling the
cops and depending on them to come
quickly and save you.”
With violence -especially gun vioelnce-
escalating every year in america,
many people are beginning to
renew the debate about gun rights.
Michigan recently got involved in the
argument when it passed its open carry
law, which makes it legal for anyone
with a licensed firearm to carry it in
public. michigan is also a “shall issue,”
state for concealed carry permits,
meaning that anyone 21 or older may
obtain a license to carry a concealed
pistol, so long as the person is not
prohibited from owning a firearm, has
not been found guilty of any felonies
or certain misdemeanors within a time
period of either 3 or 8 years dependent
upon the charge, and has completed
state-approved firearms training.
Concealed Pistol License (CPL) holders are
not required to obtain a license to purchase
a pistol; however, they must fulfill the
registration requirement (a sales record
of the pistol acquisition). Under Michigan
law, carrying a concealed pistol under
a CPL constitutes implied permission
for chemical testing for illegal drugs or
alcohol; and it is strictly forbidden for
someone with a concealed pistol license
to carry a pistol while on drugs or alcohol.
Individuals licensed to carry a concealed
pistol by Michigan or another state are
prohibited from carrying a concealed
pistol on the following premises: schools
or school property, public or private day
care center, public or private child caring
agency, or public or private child placing
agency, sports arena or stadium, a tavern
where the primary source of income is
the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass
consumed on the premises, any property
or facility owned or operated by a church,
synagogue, mosque, temple, or other
place of worship, unless the presiding
official allows concealed weapons, an
entertainment facility that the individual
knows or should know has a seating
capacity of 2,500 or more, a hospital, a
dormitory or classroom of a community
college, college, or university, and casinos.
CPL holders can, however, OPEN CARRY
in some of those locations with the new
law, whereas other civilians cannot.
What is the role of guns in our society?
What is their purpose, who should
own them, and is owning them as a
civilian even important? “I think the
right to keep and bear arms is needed,”
said Demetrious Xayphanna. “Not a lot
of people take hand to ahnd combat
training anymore, and a gun can be a way
to defend yourself. By having the training
necessary to use a gun properly, you can
protect your family and your property.”
BY BRANDON PARSONS, STAFF WRITER
PAG
E 1
8OPINION
HEADLINE
Applicants have the right to
freedom of speech, and in
the society we live in today I
think that’s very important to many
people. Needless to say, freedom
of speech only goes so far before it
becomes prejudice, or self-harming
and crude. I personally don’t see
the need to post everything about
yourself online because that’s po-
tentially a bad scenario on anyone’s
part, but I also don’t support the
right of employers to make judg-
ments about applicants based on
social media.
Putting unneeded or inappropriate
things on any sort of social media
site puts you in that category to
be judged upon what you say do
or boast about doing; its fair game.
So why is everyone so concerned
about employers infringing on their
right to free speech when in the ! ne
print it on most social media sites?
For example, Facebook says that if
the information you post send or
view is illegal or could create a stig-
ma they have the right to intervene.
Facebook also works closely with
the FBI, law enforcement, and even
employers to provide them with the
information they need (for a cost).
Social media is in a public forum,
but it’s meant to be private. Keep
your settings that way and that
will prevent many employers from
seeing things about you that you
don’t want anyway. The private life
aspect of social media should make
it o" limits to employers. They don’t
ask for your personal life on your
resume, so why should they go and
look for it on the internet?
There are many risks in using social
media to determine whether or not
to hire someone. One of the risks
is breaking federal, state, and local
laws. Looking over an applicant’s
social media pro! le can uncover
things that can’t be used to make
any employment decision. This in-
formation from www.insidecoun-
sel.com, includes, for example, an
applicant’s age, religion, national
origin, marital status, pregnancy
status, disability, sexual orientation
(some state and local jurisdictions),
or gender expression or identity
(some state and local ju-
risdictions). An employer
who chooses whether the
applicant can become
an employee or not
based on the things
listed up there can
be charged with
some heavy
! nes, and can
be looked down
upon by future
employees and peo-
ple that go to their
business.
The use of social media in the
workplace has increased a
lot since a few years ago. Em-
ployers use apps like Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter to look
at their possible employees or
current employees and see if
they do or post things that
are looked down upon
by a lot of people. If you
went to go look for a job,
but on your Facebook, you
posted statuses with curse
words in them, posted in-
napropriate pictures, or posted
about something you are doing
that you shouldn’t be, you probably
won’t be hired. I know that if I were an
employer, I wouldn’t want one of my employ-
ees posting nudes and cursing in every other
status because that would ruin my reputation.
Whether or not employers should be using so-
cial media as a way to determine if someone
should be hired or not has become such a con-
troversial subject. Some people think that it is
an invasion of privacy, and what they post on
the internet shouldn’t be looked at when they
are looking for a job. Those people do have a
point. In a way, it is weird to be hired and ! red
based on what you post online, but on the oth-
er hand, if you don’t want to be looked at in
a negative way by an employer or by anyone,
then you shouldn’t be posting things that are
“bad.”
People put their lives on social media, and I
don’t think it is an employer’s place to judge
people’s lives based on what they put online,
but you have to understand that when you
work for a place, you represent them. This is
less true at some jobs and more true at other
jobs. Some employers only hire people who
portray their company in a good light all the
time and wouldn’t hire someone who posts
things online that could damage their com-
pany’s reputation. The employers have a lot
running for them, and if hiring someone can
jeopardize that, they should not take the risk.
Having the right to post whatever you want on
social media should not give you the idea that
it’s okay. If you were on Facebook, for example,
and you saw someone post a picture with a
blunt in one hand, and a bottle of vodka in the
other, what would you think? If you were an
employer, what would you think? You would
not want someone who openly posts pictures
like that on the internet working for you.
I am not saying that every employer looks
over social media to determine whether or not
they are going to hire someone, but the point
is, you never know if that’s what they do until
you go in for an interview and they ask you for
your username(s). You should be careful about
what you post on the internet, because once
it is on there, it will never go away, no many
how many places you delete it from. Once
something is on the internet, it is on the in-
ternet for good. Do not post things that you
might regret in the future, because your suc-
cess should not be determined by something
you posted 3 years ago. (An example is if you
posted something bad, like a picture of you
doing who knows what, and a future employer
saw it, it could de! nitely a" ect your chances of
getting that job.
Should social media impact employers?
BY KALI HAZELL, STAFF WRITER BY MALACHI JONES, STAFF WRITER
PAG
E 1
9PRO-CON
BECOMING A SELFIE NATION93 MILLION SELFIES ARE TAKEN EVERY DAY IN AMERICA. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE, AND WHAT
WILL THE IMPACTS BE?
We live in a sel! sh culture, in fact, young peo-
ple today are being described as the next “me”
generation. We take millions of sel! es a day of
all aspects of ourselves, faces, bodies, booties, clothed,
barely clothed, unclothed. We post these sel! es on a va-
riety of social media outlets from Twitter to Instagram to
Snapchat and everything in between. Do we really have
something to show others with these photos, or do we
just like looking at ourselves? Ten years ago, if you wanted
to show someone a picture of you, you chose one where
you looked good but weren’t trying to look like the center
of attention. In a sel! e, you are usually the ONLY thing in
the picture, which practically screams, “look at me! Look
at me! I MUST be the center of attention!” What changed?
BY THE STAFF
VISIT THE NEWSPAPER’S INSTAGRAM TO SEE
ALL OF THE ENTRIES IN THE SCHOOL WIDE
SELFIE CONTEST
PAG
E 2
0FEATURE
VISIT THE NEWSPAPER’S INSTAGRAM TO SEE
ALL OF THE ENTRIES IN THE SCHOOL WIDE
In a survey of CoHS students and teachers, only ONE
student and TWO teachers did not use social me-
dia. Of those that do, nearly 100% reported taking
sel! es for a wide variety of reasons. Hailey Staley and
Victoria Gonzales both said that they liked looking
at themselves and they try to look good in their self-
ies. Michaela Burlingham has a di" erent motivation.
“I post mine on Instagram, but usually I just make a
funny or silly face,” she said. Coyanna Spaulding had
yet a di" erent take. “I love to do cosplay, so I take pic-
tures of me and my friends in costume for my Tumblr,”
she said, eagerly showing a photo of her in a Dr.Who
themed costume at a cosplay convention.
Some people think that girls take more sel! es than
boys, but at CoHS the genders were evenly matched.
Storman Whitman shared, “I mostly take sel! es for
Snapchat and Facebook.” Josh VanOStran agreed.
“I really only take them for Snapchat,” he said. Tyler
Tramel added another motive common to guys: “I
used to take my own for Facebook, but now I just take
them with my girlfriend because she wants to.” Dave
Anderson was unashamedly vain, proclaiming, “I just
like looking at myself!”
Mrs. Thorpe, one of the teachers without social me-
dia (Mr. Ballentine was the other), even takes sel! es. “I
take them a lot with my daughter, almost every day. I
am always behind the camera, so it’s one of the only
ways that I actually get a picture of her with me in it.”
They do it so frequently, in fact, that her two year old
can hold the camera at the right angle (upward, as
any professional sel! e-taker knows) and say, “take a
sel! e!” while she captures the image.
Not only are we taking sel! es, we’re obsessed with
the sel! es of others. CoHS students follow hundreds
of di" erent celebrities on Instagram, where most of
what they post is sel! es. “I like to look at celebrity
Instagrams because it shows they are regular peo-
ple, too,” said a CoHS female student who wished to
remain anonymous. Except they aren’t “regular peo-
ple”…many celebrities, most famously Beyonce, have
been caught photoshopping their sel! es to make
themselves look better and thinner. Most regular peo-
ple just point and shoot.
Snapchat can be a fun way to share photos with your
friends, but students should be careful what they post
on social media outlets that can be easily accessed by
others, such as Instagram and Facebook. “In addition
to your application and your resume, employers are
now looking at your digital footprint. That means that
they are likely to type your name into Google, Face-
book, or Instagram and see what comes up. If you
have a public pro! le, or even a private one with an in-
appropriate pro! le photo, it can stop you from being
considered for the job,” shared Leah Wendt, a career
adviser who works with Associate’s Degree students
at Cornerstone University.
We discovered that CoHS students have plenty of
cleaning up of their social media to do. After typing
in the names of just 20 random students, we were
able to gain access on their social media sites –some
of which had privacy settings- that would make them
undesirable to a potential employer. Aside from em-
ployment, local law enforcement o$ cials also fre-
quently peruse Facebook and Instagram to see what’s
going on, and students can actually face legal ram-
i! cations for the photos that they post if they are of
them doing something illegal.
Social media is great, but it is just that, social, and not
private. Even if you have a private Facebook, compa-
nies and the government can pay a fee to have access
to your pro! le…not to mention that EVERYTHING
posted on Facebook is stored forever, even if you
delete it. Facebook’s information storage actually ex-
ceeds that of the FBI. The moral of the story? Save the
things that you wouldn’t want your boss, principal,
college admissions person, or mother to see for Snap-
chat or private messages between friends and create
a “digital footprint” with your Facebook and Instagram
that is likely to get you hired, not ! red, and that repre-
sents you –and CoHS- in a positive light.
“After typing in the names of just 20 random students, we were able to gain access on their social me-
dia sites –some of which had privacy settings- that would make them undesirable to a potential employ-
er.”
PAG
E 2
1FEATURE
PAG
E 2
3FEATURE
In the Relken family, there is LuAnn (our teacher),
John (her husband), Aimee (her older aughter),
and Jessi (her younger daughter). Jessi still lives
at home even though she is 25 not because she has
to, but because she wants to: she lives there to help
Mrs. Relken take care of John, who has a serious
health disorder: IBM
HISTORY
LuAnn and John met in high school. In the begin-
ning, she did not like him at all! ¨I thought he was
crazy at " rst,” she said. Over time, he grew on her,
and the two started dating. She knew he was the
one for her when he proposed to her after gradua-
tion. Now, after 41 years of marriage, they are still
happily together.
DIAGNOSIS
“We found out John had Inclusion Body Myositis
after he fell 10 years ago,”Mrs. Relken explained.
They sought a doctor’s evaluation after John com-
plained of muscle and body weakness. It took them
a long and frustrating time to get a diagnosis, and
eventually they ended up with the specialists at the
Cleveland Clinic. There they did a muscle biopsy and
gave John his diagnosis. “As soon as we got back
home, I was all over the internet learning about it,”
Mrs. Relken said. John responded in a di# erent
way. “He had¨all kinds of emotions, upset, angry,
then acceptance after a while. It took him about six
months to get there.” While John’s case was typical
in symptoms with the loss of muscle in the arms and
legs, his having the disease was not typical: when
he was diagnosed, he was just one of 2,000 people
a$ icted with IBM in the whole United States.
IBM
According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association,
who advocates for IBM in America, IBM is an in% am-
matory muscle disease, characterized by slowly pro-
gressive weakness and wasting away of muscles,
leading to decreased physical activity and limited
mobility. Symptoms are most apparent in the mus-
cles of the arm and leg. The causes are unclear, but
what basically happens is that the body’s immune
system turns against its own muscles and damages
muscle tissue in an autoimmune process. There
are two types of IBM, sporadic and hereditary, and
neither are fatal. As John has no family history of
IBM, his case is considered sporadic.
IMPACT
Mrs.Relken’s home life has been impacted greatly
by John’s disease. “Now me and my daughter have
to do everything, from cleaning to cooking plus all
the home repairs,” she shared. Some of the jobs
they have inherited range from plowing and cleaning
the eaves troughs to tying John’s shoes, helping him
dress, and picking him up when he falls, which can
be a challenging task for Mrs. Relken’s petite frame.
To ease the burden, they have a lift that can help
him get o# the ground, but even that still requires
assistance from another person.
John has also had to make some modi" cations in
his life. He has a lift chair in the living room and the
dining table is set at a higher height than normal to
accommodate the higher chairs that he has to sit in.
It is easier for him to stand up from a higher chair,
so at home and in public, like at church, they look for
chairs that are approximately the ideal height of 27-
30 inches tall. As John is a human resource man-
ager at a paper mill, his disease has not had any
signi" cant e# ect on him at work. “They have been
really accommodating,” said Mrs. Relken. John will
continue to work until normal retirement age, when
he and Mrs. Relken will be able to spend even more
time with their children and three grandsons.
PROGNOSIS
People with IBM usually lose muscle tone and
strength over time, usually requiring the use of a
wheelchair. John, on the other hand, is actually re-
versing that trend. “His doctor said he has been
improving slowly,” shared Mrs. Relken. He has been
doing physical therapy and he can now lift his arms
above his head and lift some things. “He still has to
be careful not to fatigue his muscles, so the anti
immune system does not attack them,” added Mrs.
Relken. “We are preparing for the future. We have
a handicap van and are working on building a wheel-
chair accessible house,” she added. Mrs. Relken
does have some advice for others facing serious
medical issues: “get all of the support that you can
from everywhere you can,” she suggested.
The Relken family comes together to battle IBM BY JASMINE VAWNOSTRAN, STAFF WRITER
MrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrsMrs. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. Relkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelkelken en en en en en en en en andandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandand he he he he he he he he he he he he he her wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wr wholholholholholholholhole fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe fe famiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamiamily,ly,ly,ly,ly,ly,ly,ly, in in in in in in incluclucluclucluclucludindindindindinding bg bothothothothoth da daughughughughughughughughughughersersersersersersersersersersersersersers
andandandandandandandandandandand gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr gr grandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandandand ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch childildildildildildildildildildildildildildildildildildildrenrenrenrenrenrenrenrenrenrenren. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. P. Phothothothoto fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromrom th th th th th the Re Re Re Re Relkelkelkelkelkelken en FamFamFamFamFamFamFamFamilyilyilyily.
Vivid anticipation for November 21st
was the talk of the town the week
leading up to the movie release of
MockingJay Part 1. With big stars such as
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson
making their 2014 premier of the 3rd in-
stallment of the saga, Celebration Cinema
at Crossroads in Portage was packed. As I
entered the building it seemed as if the
room was a party with hundreds packed
into the theaters and some even dressed
up in show paraphernalia.
Following the devastating events of the
75th annual Quarter Quell, Katniss wakes
up in the supposedly destroyed district
13. Fans were left with unanswered ques-
tions when Catching Fire ended abrupt-
ly. What happened to Johanna? Where is
Eifee? And what will President Snow and
his minions do about the rebellion? Even
the abduction of Peeta was a big turning
point in the show. For many who’ve seen
the prior movies and read all the books it
was all but devastating to fans when Pee-
ta vanished from the screen.
Catching Fire ended with a partially-foiled
plot to rescue Katniss and her allies from
MOCKINGJAY: PART 1 REVIEW
the Quarter Quell. Katniss, unaware of the
plan, was rescued along with Finnick and
Beetee, but Peeta and Johanna were cap-
tured by the capital.
In the movie, E� e Trinket made an ap-
pearance in district 13, yet not in the
book, making it an interesting plot twist
for Katniss. Along with E� e, the famous
Natalie Dormer (The Tudors) graced the
screen with an amazing performance.
She played Cressida, a � lm maker from
the Capitol who defects to take Katniss’
side, complete with her signature half-
shaved head from the book.
The � lm
also fea-
tured the
� rst ap-
p e a r a n c e
of Julianne
Moore as
P r e s i d e n t
Alma Coin
of District
13. Moore was especially well-suited for
this role as she had just wrapped up � lm-
ing portraying vice presidential candi-
date Sarah Palin, an assertive, con� dent
and at times controversial political � gure,
just like President Coin.
The costumes in Mockingjay surprised me
the most though. With previous ground-
breaking work from Cinna, the new ward-
robe of the cast was a change from the
� rst two � lms. And can we talk about the
music? ‘All My Love’ featuring Lazar by Ar-
iana Grande was one of the top songs in
the � lm. Lorde’s ‘Yellow Flicker’ was also
featured in the movie and a favorite of
mine. The music, the wardrobe, and the
new faces all made way for Mockingjay
Part 1 to be one of the most talked about
� lms of the year.
According to thecleveland.com, “Mock-
ingjay - Part 1” earned an estimated $21.6
million. Lionsgate’s penultimate chapter
in the massively successful franchise has
now earned $257.7 million domestically,
according to studio estimates. With an-
other installment due out next Novem-
ber, fans will have to wait an entire year
to see the end of the trilogy played out on
the big screen.
No mat-
ter what
you do,
no one is
safe from
wonder-
ing what
the out-
c o m e
of the two � nal � lms. Whether it be the
Katniss’ family, the Peeta and Gale love
triangle, or even the suspenseful actions
of the Capitol, everyone is desperately
awaiting the next and � nal installment of
the franchise.
This amazing � lm is still in theaters and
with millions already having seen it, it’s
time to buy some popcorn and enjoy the
amazing Part 1 of the conclusion.
BY TRISTEN GUNNETT, EDITOR IN CHIEF
KatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatKatnisnisnisnisnisnisnisnisnisnisnisnisniss as as as as as as as as as as as as as as and nd nd nd nd nd nd GalGalGalGalGalGale �e �e �e �e �e �e � re re re re re re th th th th th th th th th th theireireireir we we we we we weapoapoapoapons at at at at at CapCapCapCapCapCapCapCapCapitoitoitoitoitoitoitoitol �l �l �l �l �l �l � gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh gh ghterterterterterterterterter pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl pl planeaneaneaneaneanes is in tn the he newnewnewnew Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mo Mockickickickickickickickickickickickingjngjngjngjngjngjngjngjngjngjngjay ay ay ay ay ay � l� l� l� l� l� l� lm. m. m. m. CouCouCouCouCouCouCouCourtertertertertesy sy sy
phophophophophophophophophophophophophophophoto to to to to to to to to to to to frofrofrofrofrofrofrofrofrofrofrofrofrom Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lm Lionionionionionionionionsgasgasgasgate te te te EntEntEntEntEntEntEntEntEntEntEntertertertertertainainainainainmenmenment. t. t. t.
PAG
E 2
4A&E
Mockingjay part 1
will leave you at the
edge of your seat waiting
for part 2
PAG
E 2
5A&E
The year is 1789, the location is Paris,
France. The poverty rate has sky-
rocketed, people are starving and
dying while the wealthy are feasting and
spending money. The highly entitled king
Louis XVI has ran the country into the
ground. France has reached its breaking
point, people riot and � ght. It’s time for a
change, it’s time for a revolution.
This is the setting for the most breath
taking and innovative Assassin’s Creed
game yet. Assassin’s Creed: Unity is
everything AC should’ve been. With the
new revamped combat and free-running
system, Unity shines against its prede-
cessors.You take the mantle of Arno, a
French-Austrian assassin whose father
was murdered at a young age. Arno grows
and learns of the secret war between as-
sassin’s and templars that has been rag-
ing for hundreds of years. He takes up the
mantle of assassin and � ghts to discover
the secrets of the templar order.
Unity is a Creed game unlike any other.
It’s massive, breath-taking and awe in-
spiring. None of the other Creed games
even come close to this masterpiece.
With a new and improved combat sys-
tem, Unity becomes a major challenge.
Counter kills are a thing of the past, parry-
ing and dodging dominate the battle� eld
as it should with a true assassin. Unity
also o� ers a new and improved free-run-
ning system which allows you to scale the
rooftops of Paris with ease. Unity is only
available on PS4, Xbox One and PC due to
these impressive changes.
Also relevant to mention are all of the ac-
curate historical nods in the game, even
if they are from the heads on the sticks of
protestors outside the Bastille.
All in all Assassin’s Creed: Unity shines in
the game world. It o� ers so much to do
and accomplish that you feel as if you
are truly an assassin. It is a solid 10/10
and should be enjoyed by gamers every-
where.
Assassin’s Creed “Unity” is the best installment yet
Cinderella is even better at the ballet than in the Disney movie
The Chenery Auditorium is a very
old venue, perfect for any show.
Cinderella only ran for two days,
and there were so many people! Yet the
ushers handled everyone perfectly.
Everyone knows Cinderella’s story, but
what I admired was they kept the origi-
nal story by the Grimm Brothers. Cinder-
ella’s mother is dead and her beloved
father’s attention is always stolen by her
very ugly step sisters. A page arrives and
announces a ball for the prince to � nd a
wife. She’s upset by having to be left be-
hind to clean the house, and as she runs
into the forest to be alone , a fairy queen
is summoned by the animals. She intro-
duces the “rest of the year fairies,” and it
takes all of them to teach her a dance and
make her look perfect. She’s o� to the ball
with the Fairy Queen and all her maidens!
This is where they drive o� the stage and
the curtain is pulled for intermission. In-
termission takes about 10-15 minutes
but the children in the audience look like
they’re going to burst from impatience.
A beautiful ballroom sets the scene and
Cinderella appears late but awes the roy-
al court with her dance skills. The prince
does a dance and woos Cinderella, and
then they do a dance together and fall in
love. But her time is up! The fairy queens
perform a grand dance and drag her out
of the castle, leaving a confused prince
behind. He pursues her and is united
with his one true love, and the step sisters
even cut their toes o� to try and fool the
prince like in the story!
I rate the Cinderella Ballet with � ve stars.
They kept a completely original music
score and story, and the dancing was
spectacular. The costumes were excellent
and the play was well over 2 hours long. I
absolutely loved it!
BY DOM JACOBS, STAFF WRITER
BY NICOLE ANDERSON, STAFF WRITER
My My My My My sissississississississississississississisterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterterter an an an an an an an an an an an an an an and Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id Id I be be be be beforforforforfore te te te te te te te te the he he balbalbalbalbalbalbalbalbalbalballetletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletletlet.....
VidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVidVideo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo eo gamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgamgame ce ce ce ce ce ce ce ce coveoveoveoveoveoveoveoveoveover cr cr courourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourourtestestestestestestestestestestestestestesy py py py py py py py py py py phothothothothothothothothothothothoto fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fo fromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromromrom
UbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbiUbisofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsofsoft’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’st’s we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we websibsibsibsibsibsibsite.te.te.te.te.
top related