shieldSeptember 2009 4200 Andover Rd, Bloomfield Hills MI 48302 Volume XLVII Issue I

Pine Lake debacleDecisions cause emotions to run high at Pine Lake Schoollauren hendricksonsenior advisor/web page editor

People are losing their jobs. Others are losing their homes. Just about everyone has lost money in their retirement savings. Now, as another outcome of the recession, some are losing their school. On June 17, 2009 the students of Pine Lake Elementary School sat in their familiar classrooms, enjoyed their outdoor playground, and departed through the school’s large, front doors for the last time. After news quickly spread that the Bloomfield Hills School District (BHSD) had leased Pine Lake Elementary to Waterford School District’s special education program, more than 60 outraged parents and community members packed into a meeting hall,

demanding to know why the Board of Educat ion had violated the terms of the deed, w h i c h restr ic ted this land for use solely by Bloomfield H i l l s schools. The Board of

E d u c a t i o n organized this

meeting to discuss Oakland Country Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren’s recent ruling that the BHSD must terminate this lease by September 8. However, BHSD superintendent, Dr. Steven Gaynor, explains, “The Court of Appeals granted us an emergency stay. What that means is that we don’t have to follow the trial court [Judge Warren’s] decision, for the time being. Meanwhile, we also have a Right of Appeal, which we have exercised.” The emergency stay, or a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment, will remain in effect until the court hears the case on appeal, a process that could take from six to 12 months. Gaynor continues, “Right now our attorneys are writing their briefs, and once they are filed, the plaintiffs file response briefs. I think it is likely that the Court of Appeals will want to hear oral arguments from our legal council.” Until the Court of Appeals makes its decision, students and staff of the Waterford School District will continue to use the Pine Lake facility.

CHANGING MYP 2009Sophomores required to participate in a Personal

Project

Rohr shares MYP passionPersonal Projects truly are personal and allow for a large amount of freedom.

Rachel Rohrjunior advisor

I love MYP. The reaction I typically get when I share this simple thought is laughter. But it’s not a joke. When first starting my personal project at the beginning of freshman year, I’ll admit it seemed like just another to have to do. But as the year progressed, I found myself enjoying it more and more. While I was required to do various assignments and projects, many of which I did not want to do, it was nice to have something to work on that I chose for myself and wanted complete. For my personal project, I created three educational brochures for three different age groups to use at the school district’s local nature center, the E.L. Johnson Nature Center. This required me to research everything from how to best educate children to what environmental information kids would both benefit from and enjoy learning about. The greatest part was doing a project that focused on three of my greatest interests: nature, children, and photography. In addition to acquiring the skills to educate kids about nature, I also applied my love of photography as I spent the year taking pictures at the Nature Center to use in my three brochures. The thing that I love most about the MYP personal project is that it truly is personal. Each student gets to choose everything about their project from the topic they focus on to the actual product. Every student receives a large amount of freedom. Along with that freedom, however, comes responsibility. Last year, the kids who chose to complete the project did nearly everything outside of school. While some complained about the time commitment required, I found myself thankful for the opportunity. Never had I gotten to control every aspect of a project before. This required an immense amount of dedication, responsibility, and perseverance on my part. In the end, the personal project is extremely rewarding. As I look back over the year I

Michigan state fair is closing With new state budget cuts, the fair will not re-open in 2010Anna Zambellistaff writer

   With eggs to be hatched, rides to be ridden, and cotton candy to be eaten, the Michigan State Fair has been a hallmark for families for the past 160 years. Vendors come from all over, people volunteer their time and a dedicated staff works to bring the wonder of Michigan’s second largest business, agriculture, to the people of the state. This past February, Governor Granholm announced that the fair will not be continuing in

the year 2010. According to Rosemary Perlata from the governor’s office, in this economy, there simply isn’t enough money to keep it running. “An executive order has been made to cut the funding and close the fairgrounds down on October 1, however there is a week left until the final budget will be official. Due to budget deficit, the state funded summer event has been cut,” says Perlata. The fair’s general manager, Bill Porter, elaborates. “The fair loses between $400,000 and $500,000 a

year” says Porter. “That’s simply too much to keep us in business.” The fair has tried a variety of things to improve its profits, but nothing seems to be enough. “This year we had more advertising than ever,”

explained Porter. “The younger generation is just more interested in technology like Myspace than in coming to see farm animals.” Porter believes many people believe that the event is the same as any other local fair.

Representing at CarnegieBand and orchestra will perform at Carnegie Hall this coming AprilAudrey Fotouhistaff writer

The Court of Appeals granted us an emergen-cy stay.

Steve GaynorSuperintendent

Implemented changes

-most sophomores moved into the

seminar with their supervising teacher

-all tenth graders required to complete at least the research

portion of the projects

-the research part of the projects will now be worked on and graded in english

class

> A6

“Playing at Carnegie Hall is a huge honor. It’s such a prestigious place; it would be an honor if I were a professional musician-let alone a high school student.” says junior flautist Anna Kemeny. Kemeny is one of the two hundred students who will be going to Carnegie Hall from April 1-4 this coming spring with the Andover Symphony Band and Orchestra. “My parents were really excited. They’re definitely going to come up and watch us play, along with my grandparents and brother,” says senior violist Jaclyn Cole. For many students, this will be the highlight of their

musical careers: a chance to play where many of their idols have performed. Judy Garland, The Beatles, and the classical pianist Tchaikovsky are just a few of the artists who have performed in this renowned concert hall. “This experience will be really cool. I can’t wait to play in a place so filled with history and honor.” said senior clarinetist Ezra Kirshenbaum. According to band director Robert Ambrose, these two groups were selected as part of Carnegie’s Spring Instrumental Music Festival on April 2. “It’s a really selective process. Only eighteen band and orchestras are playing there, “ he says.. “ We had to send in an audition tape and we were chosen as one of the eighteen. I was very excited.” Orchestra director David Reed, who has played in many Detroit area orchestras and has studied with members of the Julliard String

> A4

> A6

> A3

> A3see PINE LAKE

see FAIR

see BAND

see PROJECT see MYP

Bowers corn maze will be haunted this year > A6

New AP music theory class taught by Snyder > A4

to Know1. The annual Renaissance Festival delights again- B6

2. Two students teach about recy-cling at local schools- B2

3. The Shield is on the web- A4

4. Football players follow traditions while still being part of the team- C3

5. A tale is told of homecoming-pasts- B6

5

Madame Hammerly speaks with sophomores Myron Butler and E.Z. Kidron about their MYP personal projects.

opinionPage A2

Dealing with big decision causes debate

Shield StaffBridget Sanders and Jake

GordonEditors-in-Chief

Jessica RankeManaging Editor

Saloni GodboleSenior Adviser

Lauren HendricksonSenior Adviser and Web page

editor

Andrew WeinerSenior Adviser

Rachel RohrJunior Adviser

Kyle KavanaughGraphics/Web Editor

Alex ChudlerCopy editor

Madeline McIlhon and David Yu

Photographers

Gabe MenchacaBusiness Manager

Chelsea JollyDistribution Manager

News EditorsAlana Tabak

Pamela PenslerTalia Goldman

Sports EditorsLauren LewisMatt Luckoff

Emily Langnas

Life editorsMarley KaltSara Smoler

Emma ReidsmaMelanie Greenspan

I think that the district is doing the right thing because it should be a com-muntiy perk.

-Conor Sanders, freshman

I think it’s bad that they closed the school and didn’t al-low Waterford to rent it out.

-Trina Hossainjunior

I think par-ents are too focused on the politics of the issue and not their children’s wellbeing.

-Michael Linden junior

Returning to Childhood

Talia GoldmanNews Editor

Senior takes a trip through time

    Her  bright  face  shines  in  the sunlight  as  she  sprints  through the  grass,  giggling  all  the  way.  Her name is Ruby,  the feisty and fun-loving  nine  year-old  who taught me how to be a kid again.    This  summer,  I  volunteered at  a  camp  put  on  by  the Hispanic  Outreach  program  for 

underprivileged kids in Pontiac.  There, I  met  Ruby,  whom  with  I  spent  most of  my  time.   Her  energy,  enthusiasm and  humor  made  her  an  easy  camper favorite.   The  fact  that  she  is  also  an absolutely  adorable little  girl  didn’t exactly  hurt,  either.    But  the  most gratifying  part  for  me came  a  few  weeks after the end of camp.  Imagine  my  surprise when  I  received a  phone  call  one Thursday  night,  with a  tiny  voice  asking me  if  I  could  go  for ice cream the next day.  I  happily  took  her  and  her  brother Ricardo  to  Dairy  Queen.   My  mom tagged  along  too,  as  I  didn’t  exactly want  Ruby’s  parents  to  think  I  was  a scary  teenager  who  was  kidnapping their  children.   Once  we  had  placed our  Blizzard  orders,  Ricardo 

suggested  we  go  to  the  nearby  park.      In that sunny park, I was transported back  to  childhood.   After  eating  our ice cream, Ruby and I  ran  through the grass barefoot, playing  tag.  The  fence 

became  a  tightrope  that the  two  siblings  teetered on.  Then  all  of  us  joined in a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose”  which  eventually became  “Hippopotamus, Parrot,  Elephant”  and just  about  every  other animal  in  the  kingdom.    I  couldn’t  remember the  last  time  I  had  played “Duck,  Duck,  Goose” or  ran  barefoot.   It  was so  much  fun  to  have 

a  summer  afternoon  as  a  little  kid again,  free  of  worries  and  restraint.    Being  a  kid  is  much  more  fun.   It’s an  incredible  relief  to  forget  the  adult worries  and  simply  play  outside.   So try  it.   Take  an  afternoon,  and  just be  a  kid.   I  guarantee  you’ll  like  it.

The Bloomfield Hills School District made a tough decision.    In order  to save millions of dollars,  the doors of Pine  Lake  and  Hickory  Grove  elementary  schools have been closed forever.   The decision was made after months and months of studying and consideration.  The community was given  opportunity  to  speak,  and  de-bates were often heated.  When the closings  were  announced,  the  ad-ministration  and  staff  developed  a plan to continue the excellent quality of education to elementary students, only in two less buildings.        To  the  casual  observer  it  seems like things are fine. The buses go by, taking Kindergarten-3rd graders to  Lone  Pine  and  4th  -8th  graders to West Hills Middle School.    Un-fortunately,  all  is  not  quiet  on  the “western front.”    Throughout the past few months, it’s impossible not  to  hear  verbal  attacks.    “Pine  Lake  is  a  better building than Lone Pine!”  “The fourth graders can-not possibly be safe on buses with eighth graders!  It is too dark at Lone Pine!”  “The playground is better at Pine Lake!” “Anyone who has ever been to or sent a kid to Pine Lake knows it is the better school!”

   We are confused.  Many Andover students (includ-ing many Shield staffers) attended Lone Pine.  We’re all okay.  (We’re better than okay!)  Those of us who attended Lone Pine loved it.  It was our world.   It really was shocking to hear people at a recent Board of Education public meeting say untrue things about Lone Pine School.  Our parents would never 

allow us to attend a school that was unsafe as the comments claimed.  Whose parents would?     We understand  that you  love what you know;  what  is  familiar  and  comfortable.  The same way many of us love Lone Pine is  the  way  Pine  Lake  families  feel  about their school.  And the same goes for all the schools in the district.  We’re very lucky to have so many schools to be proud of.      We  are  one  district.    It  doesn’t  matter if  there  are  three,  four  or  six  elementary schools.   Or  two middle schools.   Or one or two high schools.  BHSD produces suc-

cessful students, and it can continue to do so if the naysayers will  allow  them  the  chance  and  trust  in their decisions. Change is often difficult to accept, and the saying goes it gets harder to accept change as you get older.  We think the students will be just fine once the adults let them be.

The Shield weighs in on closing Pine Lake Elementary

Our turn Your turn

We are one district. It doesn’t matter if there are three, four or six elementary schools.

cartoon by josh loney

Take an afternoon, and just be a little kid. I guaran-tee you’ll like it.

Have an opinion?

Send letters to the editor to room 306.

What do you think about the

Pine Lake debacle?

Chrisina HammittAdvisor

news Page 3

Administration and teachers are cracking down on tardiness this yearMelanie Greenspanco-life editor

Due to the lack of attention to arriv-ing to class on time, the attendance and tardy policy is taking top priority in the eyes of the administration in order to change the culture at Andover and to initiate responsibility upon its students. Tardy Policy “It is pretty common behavior for about 100-125 kids to come to school late after the bell has rung,” Associate Principal Lou Ruggirello says. “Not only are they coming in late, but they are coming in with their coffee cups from Starbucks and they’re walking slowly and not mak-ing any attempt to get to school on time.” Principal Rob Durecka explains how from a teacher perspective, enforce-ments are the same as in the past, “The emphasis has really not changed from a teacher responsibility. They are responsible for anyone who is tardy between zero minutes up to five minutes. After five minutes is where the change has come into place, we are sending students to the attendance office to get a pass and it will be an unexcused late pass.” Durecka continues on the policy, “The next time, the same procedure happens and you get your pass to enter. It’s not-ed as your second unexcused late and a letter is sent home. The third time, you have to get a pass and that is when

School year starts off with reinforced policy

a detention is issued by Mr. Bowers. The fourth time, two detentions. The fifth time, three detentions, the sixth time, an in house suspension and then after that, there will be some sort of for-mal meeting with the administration.” The official count will start on Sep-tember 21 of how many unexcused lates there are and the letters will start to be generated, according to Durecka. “Actually, there are really no new poli-cies here,” explains Durecka, “other than how we have added an enforce-ment measure to the existing policy. The code book does talk about attendance and we are within that perimeter, but what we have added is a formalized consequence. If students skip class then that is something the administration will deal with.” “So far, kids have been pretty good. Ninety-nine percent of the time kids understand what we’re asking them to do and that one percent we will deal with,” Ruggirello adds. Senior Omar Hadied has strong feelings about the en-forcement of the tardy policy.“I don’t like it because if you get stuck in traffic, then you have to wait in line at the attendance office to get a pass. You’re going to be run-ning late once in a while,” says Hadied. Math teacher Linda Robinson adds, “I have never had to ask them to go get a pass. They know they are com-ing too late and they go get a pass. Being in class on time ready to work is really an important part of the learn-ing process. When the tardy bell rings students go ‘oh yes, I better go to class’ and a lot of teachers had given up on marking tardies because there was no support. Mr. Durecka observed for a year, and he put in a new tardy policy

and I think its doing great.”Attendance Not only is getting to class on time becoming a priority, but so is regularly attending class. According to Robinson, “If it’s unex-cused, we have a policy that we need to enforce. The fourth unexcused ab-sence you lose credit for the course. There is no policy on excused absenc-es, so they can miss as much as they want, but then they miss content.” Ruggirello agrees, “If a kid has 50 absences, it is going to be reflected in

their grades. If there is an illness or a legitimate reason that is different. But, ultimately, its going to come down to the classroom and it’s going to come down to the parents.” “For those students who are absent, generally the c u r r i c u l u m has its impact

because they miss that much instruc-tion. Most students who are absent that much are not successful because they miss the opportunity to receive the benefit of instruction,” Durecka adds on why they are enforcing it. The consequence from the code of conduct is that after three unexcused absences, teachers have the option to affect the grade, according to Durecka. For more information on the new administrative focuses, please contact the main office.

PINE LAKE: School debacle Izabela Koscielny is the mother of former Pine Lake student Maya Koscielny, and is upset with the closing of this school for Bloom-field Hills students. “Pine Lake School was a home away from home. The principal, Tony Kruzman, created of a very, very close commu-nity. Parents were watching over each other’s kids, the principal knew every child’s name and their families. Closing

this school was a tremendous loss not only to the commu-

nity, but to the children and their percep-tion of where they belong. Children are thrown into this bigger school where c lassrooms are smaller and more c r o w d e d . ” Koscielny adds, “Mid-dle school is a hard pe-riod. It is a

tremendous transition for a young person to go through,

and having kids at an even young-er age go-ing through such a transi-tion is quite a lot for them to handle. It is a lot for us, as a family, to take. We ac-tually consid-ered chang-ing schools and moving out of the d i s t r i c t . ” Many parents like Kosci-elny disapprove of the clos-ing of Pine Lake Elementary to Bloomfield Hills students.

I dedicated to my project and evaluate the end result, I have nothing but pride. I love that I created something that directly impacts my community. Parts of my project are even being cur-rently used at the Nature Center. I am truly grateful for this experience. At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, the administra-tion decided to require all sophomore students to complete the personal project. This year, the students will get large amounts of time to work during the school day. I believe this will only take away from the greater goal of the project. The personal project isn’t meant to be just another required school assignment. It’s supposed to force students to be inde-pendent and push themselves to do something they wouldn’t normally do. If required to do this, the sophomore class won’t appreciate this experience nearly as much. However, the requirement is not going to change. It has al-ready been decided that every student in the sophomore class will complete the personal project this year. The most important thing right now is that each one appre-ciates the great opportunities this project provides. Very few schools offer this. Why not take advantage of it? They should push themselves to new heights. They need to pick something they want to do and will enjoy over the course of the year. There is absolutely no reason any of the sophomore class should be saying they don’t like MYP at the end of the year. When else will they get complete control over a project? At the end of last year, once I had completed my personal project, I turned to my mom and said, “You know what? I wish I could do the personal project next year too.” That wasn’t a joke either.

Gaynor believes that, “It [the lease of Pine Lake El-ementary] is ideal. Num-ber one, it keeps the school

It is pretty common behav-ior for about 100-125 kids to come to school late after the bell has rung.

MYP: Rohr’sprideful project

Photo by Bridget SandersA view of the newly deserted Pine Lake Elementary

from A1 [building] operating. It also preserves the school property and brings rev-enue into the district. The contract that we have with Waterford brings in about a $250,000.” Martin Brooks, president of the Board of Education, says that, in a perfect world, he would rather have all of the school district’s buildings being used by Bloomfield Hills students. However, Brooks con-cludes that, “This is not a black and white decision.

There is no right or wrong answer. There were many factors to be considered, and it was a tough decision to make.”

Pine Lake was a home away from home. The principal cre-ated a very close community.

BriefsFriday October 2, the Varsity football team plays North Farmington in their Homecoming Game.

The homecoming tailgate will be at 6:00 p.m. be-fore the game, and the game starts at 7:00.

The Homecoming Dance is at 8:00 p.m. in the gym, doors close at 9:00, every student needs an ID to attend.

This years Volley for a Cure is being played at Andover on October 15. Varsity plays at 7:00; T-shirts will be on sale soon, all proceeds are donat-ed to fight Breast Cancer.

October 24 is Make a Difference Day, Bloomfield Hills Schools partner with Gleaner’s and Kids Against Hunger.

The upcoming Andover vs. Lahser soccer games are Thursday, October 1. Junior varsity plays at 5:00 p.m. and varsity plays at 7:00 p.m.

There will be a blood drive at Andover on Novem-ber 2 run by the American Red Cross. You must be at least 17 years of age in order to donate blood.

Spirit Week hallway decorating will be Thursday, October 1 from 3-6 p.m. Pizza will be provided.

from A1

Sophomore Danny Vessels walks into newspaper class tardy and will need to come back with a pass. Photo by Maddie McIlhon

news A3

Administration and teachers cracking down on tardiness

Melanie Greenspanco-life editor

Due to the lack of attention to arriv-ing to class on time, the attendance and tardy policy is taking top priority in the eyes of the administration in order to change the culture at Andover and to initiate responsibility upon its students. Tardy Policy “It is pretty common behavior for about 100-125 kids to come to school late after the bell has rung,” Associate Principal Lou Ruggirello says. “Not only are they coming in late, but they are coming in with their coffee cups from Starbucks and they’re walking slowly and not mak-ing any attempt to get to school on time.” Principal Rob Durecka explains how from a teacher perspective, enforce-ments are the same as in the past, “The emphasis has really not changed from a teacher responsibility. They are responsible for anyone who is tardy between zero minutes up to five minutes. After five minutes is where the change has come into place, we are sending students to the attendance office to get a pass and it will be an unexcused late pass.” Durecka continues on the policy, “The next time, the same procedure happens and you get your pass to enter. It’s not-ed as your second unexcused late and a letter is sent home. The third time, you have to get a pass and that is when

School year starts off with reinforced policy

a detention is issued by Mr. Bowers. The fourth time, two detentions. The fifth time, three detentions, the sixth time, an in house suspension and then after that, there will be some sort of for-mal meeting with the administration.” The official count will start on Sep-tember 21 of how many unexcused lates there are and the letters will start to be generated, according to Durecka. “Actually, there are really no new poli-cies here,” explains Durecka, “other than how we have added an enforce-ment measure to the existing policy. The code book does talk about attendance and we are within that perimeter, but what we have added is a formalized consequence. If students skip class then that is something the administration will deal with.” “So far, kids have been pretty good. Ninety-nine percent of the time kids understand what we’re asking them to do and that one percent we will deal with,” Ruggirello adds. Senior Omar Hadied has strong feelings about the en-forcement of the tardy policy.“I don’t like it because if you get stuck in traffic, then you have to wait in line at the attendance office to get a pass. You’re going to be run-ning late once in a while,” says Hadied. Math teacher Linda Robinson adds, “I have never had to ask them to go get a pass. They know they are com-ing too late and they go get a pass. Being in class on time ready to work is really an important part of the learn-ing process. When the tardy bell rings students go ‘oh yes, I better go to class’ and a lot of teachers had given up on marking tardies because there was no support. Mr. Durecka observed for a year, and he put in a new tardy policy

and I think its doing great.”Attendance Not only is getting to class on time becoming a priority, but so is regularly attending class. According to Robinson, “If it’s unex-cused, we have a policy that we need to enforce. The fourth unexcused ab-sence you lose credit for the course. There is no policy on excused absenc-es, so they can miss as much as they want, but then they miss content.” Ruggirello agrees, “If a kid has 50 absences, it is going to be reflected in

their grades. If there is an illness or a legitimate reason that is different. But, ultimately, its going to come down to the classroom and it’s going to come down to the parents.” “For those students who are absent, generally the c u r r i c u l u m has its impact

because they miss that much instruc-tion. Most students who are absent that much are not successful because they miss the opportunity to receive the benefit of instruction,” Durecka adds on why they are enforcing it. The consequence from the code of conduct is that after three unexcused absences, teachers have the option to affect the grade, according to Durecka. For more information on the new administrative focuses, please contact the main office.

PINE LAKE: School debacle Izabela Koscielny is the mother of former Pine Lake student Maya Koscielny, and is upset with the closing of this school for Bloom-field Hills students. “Pine Lake School was a home away from home. The principal, Tony Kruzman, created of a very, very close commu-nity. Parents were watching over each other’s kids, the principal knew every child’s name and their families. Closing

this school was a tremendous loss not only to the commu-

nity, but to the children and their percep-tion of where they belong. Children are thrown into this bigger school where c lassrooms are smaller and more c r o w d e d . ” Koscielny adds, “Mid-dle school is a hard pe-riod. It is a

tremendous transition for a young person to go through,

and having kids at an even young-er age go-ing through such a transi-tion is quite a lot for them to handle. It is a lot for us, as a family, to take. We ac-tually consid-ered chang-ing schools and moving out of the d i s t r i c t . ” Many parents like Kosci-elny disapprove of the clos-ing of Pine Lake Elementary to Bloomfield Hills students.

I dedicated to my project and evaluate the end result, I have nothing but pride. I love that I created something that directly impacts my community. Parts of my project are even being cur-rently used at the Nature Center. I am truly grateful for this experience. At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, the administra-tion decided to require all sophomore students to complete the personal project. This year, the students will get large amounts of time to work during the school day. I believe this will only take away from the greater goal of the project. The personal project isn’t meant to be just another required school assignment. It’s supposed to force students to be inde-pendent and push themselves to do something they wouldn’t normally do. If required to do this, the sophomore class won’t appreciate this experience nearly as much. However, the requirement is not going to change. It has al-ready been decided that every student in the sophomore class will complete the personal project this year. The most important thing right now is that each one appre-ciates the great opportunities this project provides. Very few schools offer this. Why not take advantage of it? They should push themselves to new heights. They need to pick something they want to do and will enjoy over the course of the year. There is absolutely no reason any of the sophomore class should be saying they don’t like MYP at the end of the year. When else will they get complete control over a project? At the end of last year, once I had completed my personal project, I turned to my mom and said, “You know what? I wish I could do the personal project next year too.” That wasn’t a joke either.

Gaynor believes that, “It [the lease of Pine Lake El-ementary] is ideal. Num-ber one, it keeps the school

It is pretty common behav-ior for about 100-125 kids to come to school late after the bell has rung.

MYP: Rohr’sprideful project

Photo by Bridget SandersA veiw of the newly deserted Pine Lake Elementary

from page 1 [building] operating. It also preserves the school property and brings rev-enue into the district. The contract that we have with Waterford brings in about a $250,000.” Martin Brooks, president of the Board of Education, says that, in a perfect world, he would rather have all of the school district’s buildings being used by Bloomfield Hills students. However, Brooks con-cludes that, “This is not a black and white decision.

There is no right or wrong answer. There were many factors to be considered, and it was a tough decision to make.”

Pine Lake was a home away from home. The principal cre-ated a very close community.

BriefsFriday October 2, the varsity football team plays North Farmington in their Homecoming Game.

The Homecoming tailgate will be at 6:00 p.m. be-fore the game, and the game starts at 7:00.

The Homecoming Dance is at 8:00 p.m. in the gym, doors close at 9:00, every student needs an ID to attend.

Volley for a Cure is being played at Andover on October 15. Varsity plays at 7:00; T-shirts will be on sale soon, all proceeds are donated to fight Breast Cancer.

October 24 is Make a Difference Day, Bloomfield Hills Schools partner with Gleaner’s and Kids Against Hunger.

The upcoming Andover vs. Lahser soccer games are Thursday, October 1. Junior varsity plays at 5:00 p.m. and varsity plays at 7:00 p.m.

There will be a blood drive at Andover on Novem-ber 2 run by the American Red Cross. You must be at least 17 years of age in order to donate blood.

Spirit Week hallway decorating will be Thursday, October 1 from 3-6 p.m. Pizza will be provided.

from page 1

Sophomore Danny Vessels walks to class tardy and needs to come back with pass because he is more than 5 minutes Photo by Maddie McIlhon

newsPage 4

Budget allows new music theory classBruce Snyder teaches AP Music Theory after many years of trying to create the class the budget allowed for it

Emma Enache staff writer

In a school year defined by bud-get cuts, it’s nice to know that the district is putting money into what matters: new, diverse course offer-ings. Thanks to choir teacher Bruce Snyder, Andover High School now offers an AP Music Theory course. “The opportunity was perfect—with the reorganization of the district this year, I was put back into the classroom full-time. But even though [Andover has] a really good music department, with very involved kids, it’s sometimes hard to at-tract students to a class as specialized as music theory, because they’ll some-times want to take academics instead.” Some time ago, Snyder and fellow music teacher Robert Ambrose took turns teaching a regular music theory course. Snyder even taught a music appreciation course. Those supplementary music classes were cut because of diminishing funding or inter-est. However, interest hasn’t seemed to be much of a prob-lem—not in the past, or now. “Three or four kids every year had been taking [the exam] as an independent study project, so we could track for a number of years that a small group of kids had always been independently taking the AP. That con-vinced me that there was enough student interest to start designing a course.” Nevertheless, that indepen-dent study course wasn’t enough. Snyder noted that those students were successful, “but not everyone is that independently motivated. It’s so

much better to teach it in a struc-tured class environment, with teach-ers there all the time. That way, it’s not as easy for students to slack off.” Even with those advantages to the AP Music Theory course, it was unclear if the district would let it go through or not.

“There’s a pretty signifi-cant investment that the district has to choose to make. They sent me to an AP Music Theory institute this summer, so they’re picking up the cost for that, and then there’s the cost of the textbooks, the com-puter materials, and things like that.” says Snyder. Mary Ellen Miller, the

vice president of the board of educa-tion, asserts that the district is happy to make investments in new classes. “What we’re trying to do is keep the money in the classroom. We always want to offer more to our students and we’re happy to add new classes,” she says, adding that as for the kind of course--regular or advanced place-ment, “those are the kind of decisions that the district lets teachers make.”

Snyder isn’t the only one who is happy the course is offered. Students who are taking the class are just as enthusiastic. Senior Heidi Kim is no exception. “I thought it would be a really cool class to take—it gives you a better idea of the structure of music. It’s really interest-ing--I’m learning what’s going on in my music, and figuring out why compos-ers write their music the way they do.” Her classmate Tyler Corn-wall is also happy it’s offered. “I’m pretty serious about music, and any opportunity to learn more about it. We’re doing a lot of ear training, and we sight-sing music. It’s a great class; it’s fun.” As serious musicians who plan to take the course in college, both expect to take the AP exam , but unsure about one specific part of it: the sight-singing. “It’s definitely not second na-ture,” says Kim. But Cornwall has a more optimistic take, “I’ll get the hang of it. I haven’t yet, but I will.” Snyder hopes that the class will con-tinue to be offered in the years to come. “We’re trying to expand it,” Snyder says, “so if you know any Lahser people interest-ed, then tell them. I’d love new students!”

The Shield goes onlineClick This; After months of anticipation, students finally have access online.Kyle KavanaghWeb/ Design Editor

One hundred years ago, the first car was built. Twenty years later, the Wright brothers gave us air-planes. Only forty years ago, a man was put on the moon. And once the 2009-2010 school year began, The Shield was online. After nearly six months of work, The Shield is proud to announce the opening of its online presence- a n d o v e r -s h i e l d .com. My vision came from my passion for the news. Each morn-ing I wake up, brush my teeth, check face-book (of c o u r s e ) , and go to CNN.com to see what has happened overnight. I remem-ber asking m y s e l f , “ W h a t would I do without CNN.com?” It took no time to realize that with the expanding reaches of the me-dia, I could not go a day without it. My goal became bringing The Shield to the Andover students not just every month, but all the time. The website will offer Shield readers a much more enriched ex-perience, as well as access to con-

tent that may not have been included in the paper. The largest advantage to having this online presence is the ability to post an unlimited number of stories at any time of the month, and this is exactly what The Shield plans to do. Throughout the month, The Shield will be posting additional stories that could not be included in the monthly issue. This means that our content will always be changing and available to the public 24/7, rather than simply once-a-month. Remember an article that you really liked, but can’t seem to find it? With the new website, every article from this issue on out will be archived and searchable for your convenience. These are just a few features that ex-

tend our content from just a story. However, andover-shield.com is much more than just an outlet for our sto-ries. As a reader, you will have the ability to comment and respond to all of our stories, so whether you agree, or think we’ve got it all wrong, just leave a comment. Staff members can also post polls regard-ing local issues to gauge your feel-ings on the subject, before the issue is printed. In addition to this, now you can follow The Shield

on Twitter at @andovershield. We will be updating this daily with school news, such as AHS sports scores and upcom-ing events. Features like these open the door for The Shield to communicate with its reader-base and will help improve our newspaper tremendously. So the next time you find yourself sitting around on facebook, logon to http://www.andovershield.com and check it out!

PROJECT: Man-datory MYP unit

The state-of-the-art website will offer Shield readers a much more enriched experience, as well as access to content that may not have been included in the physical paper.

We’re do-ing a lot of ear training, and we sight-sing music. It’s a great class; it’s fun.

Everett ‘Tyler’ Cornwall and David Rohr, seniors, analyze music while listening to smooth jazz in their AP Music Theory class.

During his third hour usic theory class choir teacher Bruce Snyder instructs Jared Elias on music theory. These eight students are the pioneers for a new class.

Students and Staff recieve a 15% discount!

photos by Maddie McIlhon

Excitement lights up his eyes as he sifts through the pile next to him. Enthusiasm rings through his voice as he picks the best one. Pride is reflected in his every word as he shares his passion for something he truly believes in--the MYP Personal Project. “[Because] school is practice for being successful later on, this is just one more way [to get that practice], and it’s unique, it’s not like the other [school] experience. I would venture to say that life beyond the school halls looks a little bit more like the Personal Project than it does the classrooms.” Walking around the 52 completed projects on display at the first ever annual Personal Project Showcase last Spring, Rubel’s mind fast forwarded to this fall and the changes that could be made to better support the sophomores. “We’re already an IB school that does the Middle Years Programme, and we wanted to do [the Personal Projects] for everybody, so we started to look at ways that we could make that possible,” says Rubel. “The question became ‘well how can we better support this so that this becomes a part of the way we do things for sophomores here?’” Full participation from the entire sophomore class is the biggest change; however, it is still uncertain to some if this involvement is required. “Nobody’s ever answered the mandatory question yet. I think it’s more a matter of just trying to

get everybody to do [the projects] as opposed to mandating [them],” says English Department head Art Heymoss. In response, Rubel says that after the research portion, the project’s completiton is optional for students. “There are aspects that are mandatory, like doing a research paper, and then there are things that are going to be based on each student saying, ‘you know, I’m going to see this project through until the end.’ How far the student takes it, well that’s on the student.” Rubel is hopeful the students will continue to work on the projects even after the grades are turned in. “I believe in an optimistic way that kids are going to pursue it. Fifty-two did last year and they didn’t even have the kind of support that we’re going to provide this year,”says Rubel. Bringing the projects into the English classroom was the best avenue in providing assistance to students. “I think the things we started to look at, and we sent out some reflections and got feed-back, were how we could continue to better support [the projects] now that we have even a better idea of what [the projects] look like from start to finish,” says Rubel. “What we’re doing is not a whole scale change from last year. It is better supporting the areas where kids need instruction.

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We are keeping what seemed to work pretty well from last year and then just adding in critical places a little bit more support.” Already in accordance with the new English Language Arts content expectations by the state of Michigan, English classes require students to complete an extensive research project on a topic thus Rubel explains the research necessary for the Personal Projects was a perfect fit as it will be substituted to fulfill the Michigan’s research requirements. “I think we all realized the biggest area of loss

of points for [the students’] score was in the way they did their written part — they didn’t document their sources properly and things like that — and so we as English teachers recognized we can help the kids out along those lines,” says Heymoss. “I think we saw a need that we could fulfill. The kids had something lacking in their projects and we have to do a research project or paper anyway because of our new state requirements. So four teachers [Mary Blair, Krista Laliberte, Danielle Harsh, and Christina Hammitt] joined

Mr. Rubel in the summer and hammered out a process whereby the kids could do all their research and their personal statement right in class for credit, and we kind of killed two birds with one stone,” says Heymoss. According to American Literature teacher Mary Blair the three and a half weeks spent in class working on the Personal Projects will not have a much of an impact on the content of the class or the material covered. “We’re not losing a large amount of time here,” she says. “I would say that maybe we had to

slightly quicken the pace in a sense where the students may have to read one or two more pieces on their own, something along those lines, but nothing drastic. We’re not losing a unit or we’re not going to not read a book because we don’t have time. We’re still doing everything that we did before.”     Rubel is positive about the benefits the changes will bring to the students. “We’ll get through the wrinkles and maybe we’ll find that we need to make some changes each year, which is good.” He adds while looking through the pile of Personal Projects from last year, “but ultimately, we know that the experience is worthwhile.”

PROJECT: changes made to MYPFrom A4

newsPage 6

Horse around at the Bowers corn maze

Bowers Farm will open its first haunted corn maze on the 30-31 of October

Haunted houses too scary? Too old for trick-or-treating? If the Charles L. Bowers School Farm has its way, the answer will be unconventional: a corn maze. “This is the third year the Bowers Farm will be hosting a corn maze,” says Bowers’ 4-H historian, Heidi Kurn. “Every year, the barn manager, Holly, creates a new design for the corn maze. This year’s corn maze was constructed to resemble two of the barn’s horses, Jack and Mac, one of which has a mark that looks a lot like the state of Michigan,” says Eric Jaros, Bowers’ 4-H President and Andover senior. It takes months of preparation to create the corn maze. “We begin double planting the corn in the spring. We plant north to south and then we go back over east to west. We then contract with a company from Iowa called Maze Play. I talk with them and decide about the design of the corn maze and then they design it. Then they come out with a tractor, a tiller, and a GPS unit and they till the land behind them in coordinates from the the GPS. When it’s all done it is the exact picture of the maze we want,” says Holly Glomski, head agriscience teacher and farm manager.” The job doesn’t stop there. The Bowers’ 4H club spends their weekends in September

walking back and forth through the maze, mulching every pathway. In September, the 4-H club begins to advertise the corn maze. There are three mazes: a beginner, middle, and advanced. All of the mazes span a distance of eight acres. “It can be really confusing. We’ve had a lot of kids and adults get separated in the maze, but if you just follow the check points you’ll be out in no time,” says Kurn. “I would probably recommend the corn maze amateurs to start out in the beginning corn maze and work their way up to the advanced one. But if you’re a real daredevil, I would go straight for the advanced corn maze.”   But how does one find their way through a confusion of corn? “Before you begin the maze, you receive a ticket. On the ticket are numbers. When you go through the maze, you hole punch the number of the check point you arrive at,” says Jaros. “This should keep you on the right track. There are also corn maze helpers, called corn cops. They’ll make sure you get out with no problems at all.” Corn mazes not your thing? There are more activities than just the corn maze at the farm. “This year visitors will be able to visit the barn to see and pet the animals, take tractor rides around the farm, warm up at the

bonfire and  grab  a  bite  at  the  concessions,” says Glomski. “It’s lots of fun at the farm. Also,  on  the  thirtieth  and  the  thirty-first, Halloween, there will be a haunted corn maze. One of the mazes will be haunted and the other two will be open and un-haunted,” says Glomski.    The corn maze officially opens on Saturday, September 26 from four to nine. After that, it

will be open in October every Friday  from  five  to  nine,  and Saturday from four to nine. Holly anticipates a great turnout this year and hopes to out do last year’s attendance. “Last year we had about eight thousand people come to the corn maze,” says Glomski. “That’s double the amount the year before.” The entry fee is $8 per person; $6 for children, ages 6-11; and free for children 5 and under. The Charles L. Bowers Farm

has two places for parking. One is located on the corner of East Square Lake and Squirrel Rd, and the other is on East Square Lake near Adams. For more information on the corn maze, visit www.bloomfieldmaze.com or contact the Bowers farm at 248- 341-6475. So throw away that risky costume and have some  genuine  fall-flavored  fun  at  the  corn maze.

.This Halloween, throw away that risky costume and have some actual fall flavored fun at the corn maze.

Orchestra director David Reed, who has played in many Detroit area orchestras, and has studied with members of the Juiliard String Quartet explains, “it’s a career highlight for me, but I’m even more excited for the students.” During a phone interview, Carnegie Hall Public Relations representative Justin, a musician himself, added to Ambrose’s and Reed’s opinion by saying that it truly is an honor to play in this historical venue which The New York Times calls “the best-known concert hall in the cultural capital of the United States, [and] the site for thousands upon thousands of music lovers of some

of the great artistic experiences of their lives.” According to Kemeny, the $1,249 per student includes transportation, monuments and city tours. “Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are just a few of the sights we will see,” she says. “We will [also] visit Rockefeller Plaza for the Top of the Rock Night View and will be seeing Billy Elliot or West Side Story on Broadway. [We will] also have a few hours to explore New York on our own.” For more information regarding the trip contact Robert Ambrose at rambrose@bloomfield.org or David Reed at dreed@bloomfield.org.

“In addition to the agricultural aspects of the fair, we also have community arts such as fine paintings, baking, quilting and lace making. People really need to see the value in the fair in order for it to be successful.” For those wondering whether they will see Michigan’s best animals at the fair anytime soon, it remains a possibility. “It’s not impossible for the fair to run again, but it’s hard to say right now,” says Porter. “A lot of changes must be made.” Porter further emphasizes the vast amount of financial loses that the fair faces. “The site needs many millions of dollars in restorations. Any business that is not

making money does not have the means to do that.” If the fair was ever to reopen, Porter hopes to bring modern agricultural technology into it. “That’s what people of today want to see. It interests them more than the classic farm scene.” Some day when we are out of this economic situation the fair may be able to reopen. Porter believes that it’s a shame to see family activities and old time events disappearing from our agendas. The fair may have seen its last run in 2009 and at this point in time, all Porter and his team can do is hope for the best.

Quick Read:

-The first state fair was in De-troit in 1849-The fair was held 160 years in a row-In 1966, it attracted 1.2 million people-Housed on 164 acres

FAIR: Closing this yearfrom page 1

BAND: Hallowed halls from page 1

photos by Eric Jaros

Melanie Greenspanco-life editor

life

Two Bloomfield Hills girls are preparing for homecoming. One matches her velvet dress to her pearls and hops into a Bonneville convertible. A decade later, the other decides to skip the “preppy” dance for an anti-war rally. On the 50th anniversary of homecoming, students cel-ebrate in accordance with the culture of the times, as students of the past have done. Ginny Huffman, from the Bloom-field Hills High School class of 1963 (pictured in above graphic), elaborates on the homecoming experience. “I was voted both sophomore and junior princess,” says Huffman. “It was kind of interesting that I made it onto the court, I was very surprised because I was pretty studious. In those days, the football players voted who the homecoming court was. I also have a charm bracelet-you got a charm in those days and one says sophomore princess and one says junior princess given to me by the school.” According to Huffman, high school in the late 50s and 60s was a different world. “We had one school building, and 80 plus

Mad bull chase

Reliving the experience of one unforgettable hiking adventure

Bridget Sandersco-editor in chief Panting heavily, I tore off my blindfold and started to sprint for my life up the beaten path in the hot, sticky village of Bonao. Pause. Rewind. Envision nineteen American teenagers hiking up a riverside trail in a remote village of the Dominican Republic. Having just jumped off four different 30 foot waterfalls, my life-altering adventure aspect of the day had been consummately fulfilled, or so I had thought. It felt like 1,000 degrees. My hiking backpack was sticking to my sweaty tank top. My partner, Joey, tied a black bandanna over my eyes. Holding onto Joey’s shoulders, I was blindly being led up and down steep, rocky hillside, over fallen logs and slippery streams to encourage trust building. After a while, the tension subsided. I loosened my steel-like grip on Joey’s shoulders and the butterflies in my stomach seemed to be disappearing one by one. All of a sudden, I started to hear screams coming from behind me. Worried, I asked Joey quickly what was going on. Concerned only with getting home, he told

me not to worry, and we kept on w a l k i n g . After a moment I started to hear exactly what people w e r e s h o u t i n g . “ V a c a malo, vaca malo!” is all I heard. It sounded like the l o c a l c h i l d r e n w e r e screaming f r o m behind us.

Now, really concerned, I turned to Joey a second time as I heard one loud yell above all the rest “Take off your blindfolds and RUN!” My trip leader sounded frantic. I immediately tore off my blindfold only to see not more than 100 feet behind us, a mad bull charging up the path. Heart pounding, I, along with 18 other astounded kids, screamed bloody murder as I started to run, stumbling blindly up the path. Realizing there was no way to outrun the bull, I yelled at my peers to veer off the road in front of a deteriorating shack. Two Dominican children somehow grabbed a hold of the bull’s rope and held it down some ways behind us. Thinking we were safe, we started to cautiously walk back to the road. As soon as we stated hiking up the path again, the bull tore out of the hands of the kids and started charging again. Realizing that for the second time that day, I was in mortal peril, I once again starting tearing up the path. Blood rushed to my head and drowning out all the noise, one thought was all I heard. “This could actually be the end of my life.” Adrenaline pumping, I ran faster than I ever had in my life, all the way up the last hill until we reached a bamboo bridge, teetering perilously ahead of me. Looking behind, I saw I was safe once and for all, as several men had taken control of the bull. My trip leader calmly told us to put our blindfolds back on, and I walked across that swaying half-mile long bridge blindfolded, feeling more safe and relieved than ever.

Graphic by Kyle Kavanaugh

Contrasting stories of homecomings pastSaloni Godbolenews senior advisor

1967-68 was a huge time of transi-tion. The whole hippy thing was about be-ing “anti-fashion”. Dressing up for homecoming was something that the “preps” didKim JohnsonBloomfield Hills alum

Feeling lost reading The Lost SymbolSequel to The Da Vinci Code fails to exciteAndrew Weinerlife senior advisor After solving secrets in Rome and ending enigmas in Paris, Robert Langdon is back. And I couldn’t care less. Dan Brown’s third entry in the overwhelmingly popular Robert Langdon series, The Lost Symbol, is for all intensive purposes the same as the first two (Angels and Demons and the insanely popular The Da Vinci Code). For the third time, Robert Langdon, a Harvard

professor and symboligist, is somehow roped into solving ancient mysteries against the clock with a beautiful woman at his side. The familiarity of the plot is the book’s biggest disappointment. Take the events of the previous books and move them to Washington D.C. Essentially a National Treasure for adults. Nothing new or exciting. The Lost Symbol takes place several years after the events of The Da Vinci Code. Langdon is in Washington D.C. trying to crack (or keep safe, it’s never really clear) the secrets of the Freemasons. The secrets, known as the Ancient Mysteries, if found will supposedly contain wisdom that will bring a second Renaissance. Langdon is joined on the mission by Dr. Katherine

Soloman, Peter Soloman, Warren Belamy, and numerous other characters. The problem is, however, despite physical appearances the characters share one boring personality. There is no character development at all, and much of the action’s logic is hard to swallow. The few times Brown gives us insight into his character’s thoughts, they all think the exact same way. They all occasionally say a witty one-liner, are doing what they believe right, and all have the annoying habit of sounding like encyclopedias despite danger (note to self- if people are dying around you, don’t spend ten minutes explaining ancient myths.) Also, I’m 99 percent sure that Brown wrote the character Warren Belamy, more than once

percent of us went to college. When you go on a date, in my day, boys wore a coat and tie. Girls wore gir-dles and things, we didn’t even have pantyhose. We couldn’t wear jeans and stuff like that to school. It was all about class, flats, pleated skirts with sweaters that matched,” says Huffman. However, some things seem universal to high schools regardless of the decade.

“I remember I wore my first black dress to homecoming. It was a black

velvet dress. I always had a steady boyfriend but my parents didn’t want me to “go steady”. And everybody had a brand new car because it was Michigan after all. The coolest car was the Bonneville convert-ible, and the coolest thing to do was go to Ted’s on Woodward and cruise,” says Huffman. Kim Johnson’s experience, like Huffman’s, epitomizes the time period. “1967-68 was a huge time of transition. The class was divided into jocks, frats, and hip-

pies. The Vietnam War was going on; both Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated that year. If your birthday was drawn as an early draft number it was almost guar-anteed that you would not be start-ing college.

Tale of TWO homecomings

> B5see TWO

(below) Kim Johnson, a Bloomfield Hills

high

described as an “elegant African-American man,” specifically for Morgan Freeman to play in the inevitable movie adaptation. The villain of the story, Mal’akh, is ridiculously cliché to the point of comedy. His brief introduction in the prologue actually made me laugh. Brown tries so hard to make Mal’akh mysterious and intimidating that he is a caricature of a comic-book villain. Brown’s only literary trick is the big, over-the-top, shocking twist. Like millions of people, I read Da Vinci and was waiting for the surprise. > B5

see BOOK

Renaissance Festival welcomes

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homecoming

of things, I understood what I could and couldn’t do. [After turning in my only late assignment] I felt like my world was crashing down. I had that feeling of ‘I’ve never forgotton an assignment before’. But I realized that it wasn’t a big deal; it was only five points.” Varley says that working so often makes it difficult for her to spend time with friends. “Working takes up pretty much all of my free time. After one job I’ll go directly to another,” says Varley. “Then I go home and start and finish my homework. Usually I talk to my friends on the phone around midnight. I go to bed around 12:30 or 1 A.M., then get up at 5 A.M. to go running and do it all over again. My friends understand that I am busy all the time, so I always devote weekends to them. I always make time for my friends, because I care about them so much. My schedule is intense, but I know I’m not going to regret it.” “It’s been hard to spend time with [Lauren] with her working and my extracurriculars,” says senior Haley Anderson. “She even works on weekends, the

time when I am usually free. But we make it a point to see each other and usually find a time in the class we have together this semester.” Even though Varley puts a lot on her plate, she is recognized as a hard worker by her employers. “Lauren is

reliable and conscientious. She asks a lot of questions so that no mistakes are made,” says Mary Goldon, president of Mary E. Goldon CPA where Varley works as a secretary. Varley says she saves most of her money for college tuition. Her first-choice school is Wayne State University for the College of Nursing. “I’m not a big shopper, so I’ll usually save ninety percent of my money,” says Varley. “The other ten percent I’ll keep for myself on the off chance that I need to spend it, but tuition is so much and it just keeps increasing. I’m going to need as much money as I can get.” Varley believes all of her hard work will be worth it and enjoys being financially independent when it comes to college. “I’ve thought about it, but I think I’m getting the better end of the stick,” says Varley. “My parents help me a little bit, but I don’t like it when they do. College is for me and not for them. I want to be able to pay for something that I want to do.” Varley’s mother says has the tools she needs for success. “Personality wise she is very laid back. That’s an important thing,” says Marianne. “Lauren also has a positive attitude. She doesn’t say ‘I can’t do it’. She says ‘I will do it’.”

lifeB2

Choosing the best berryTwo new yogurt shops make their yummy debutSam Gordonguest writer

The tart-treat craze of the coasts, Pinkberry, has finally found its way to Bloomfield Hills, in the form of Swirlberry and Bloomberry. These yogurts stay true to the style of healthy yet tasty treats that Pinkberry made popular. Pinkberry, the original tart yogurt in the US, is known for

its use of one-hundred percent organic ingredients. It does not have the sweetness of normal ice cream, nor the creaminess. Swirlberry opened in May at Plum Market on Orchard Lake and Maple. Bloomberry has been offered at Brooklyn Bagel on Long Lake and Telegraph for the last several weeks, which is a more convenient location for me. Swirlberry has a modern environment and cool seating arrangements, whereas Bloomberry is just a serving machine with a topping counter. When I arrived at Swirlberry, I was immediately impressed by the servers’ greeting. The line, which took 15 minutes, backed up into Plum Market, where carts hampered my progress. I now had to make my selection. Would it be original tart, pomegranate, or blueberry? I chose a small blueberry. The next consideration was toppings.. The toppings include many cereals, like Fruity Pebbles, and there is also a wide range of fresh fruit including bananas and pomegranate seeds. The server did skimp a bit on the toppings though. I discovered that my small yogurt cost over

$5! I was shocked to spend that much money for only five ounces of yogurt, but the taste almost made up for it. The experience at Bloomberry was completely different. I walked into Brooklyn Bagel and made a beeline for the serving machine. I was confused by the lack of labeling. The employee told me I can choose between pomegranate and original tart. I chose pomegranate, which was my personal favorite. At the toppings counter, I choose blueberries and Fruity Pebbles. The 17 toppings are self-serve, so load them on. At the counter, I found that it cost $3.50 for the exact same yogurt. There is no seating, so unfortunately, the curb is the best option. The yogurt has only 29 calories per ounce while an ounce of ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery has 69 calories. I would give both Swirlberry and Bloomberry four stars. If you’re looking for a night out, Swirlberry is the place to be, but if you just want some refreshing yogurt without burning a hole in your wallet, head on over to Bloomberry.

On the jobSenior Lauren Varley balances school with six jobsMarley Kaltco-life section editor

Lauren’s world was crashing around her. As her math teacher approached her table, Lauren reached into her bag only to find it empty. She realized there was something she forgot for the first time. Her homework. The most impressive thing about senior Lauren Varley is not that she has only turned in one late assignment throughout her high school career while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average for the past two years; she also works at six jobs and volunteer positions. “I made the decision to work because I want to pay for my own college tuition. I’m at the age where I should be able to pay for things myself,” says Varley. “I started babysitting and becoming lifeguard-certified in middle school, and then just kept expanding from there.” Babysitting, volunteering at Huron Valley and Henry Ford hospitals, l i f e g u a r d i n g and teaching swim lessons at Bloomfield Hills Aquatics, and working as a secretary at the offices of Larry Varley and Mary Goldon all make up her resume. “My parents really appreciate that I work,” adds Varley. “They’re allowed to focus more on the things they need to do, knowing that I am independent. They’re grateful for it.” Marianne Varley, Lauren’s mother, is “thrilled for her. Working was Lauren’s choice. She chose to have so many jobs because she loves so many things. I love that she’s working, as long as she keeps up her grades.” Varley finds that managing her time well keeps her organized and on track with her schoolwork. “I make a schedule and keep lists of what I have to do. I am very detail oriented,” says Varley. “But seminar in school helps so much. Without seminar, I would be an insomniac. I would be doing so much work all the time that I wouldn’t be sleeping!” Varley’s family notices that she never seems stressed. “Lauren is a highly motivated person and has a high energy. She looks at everything like a challenge,” says Marianne. “Lauren knows where she has to distribute her time and asks for time off work when she needs it, such as before finals.” “It is not as difficult as you may think to be on top of everything,” says Varley. “When I started off working so much, it was really hard to balance. But after I got into the swing

I’ve thought about it, but I think I’m getting the bet-ter end of the stick.

Lauren Varleysenior

The Amgen Scholar experienceAndover alum Joey Rohr gets unique chance for research project at UCLAAndrew Panguest writer

Fifteen people. Nine languages. Six continents. One program. For two and a half months, Andover High School alum Joey Rohr, now a junior at Tulane University, had been working as part of the prestigious Amgen Scholars Program. Rohr completed lab work that deals with blood, the blood forming organs, and blood diseases. His project analyzed the creation of human blood-making cells. “I spent ten weeks at UCLA as part of the Amgen Scholars Program,” says Rohr, “an internship for working in a lab at UCLA paid for by the Amgen Foundation. I worked under Dr. Hanna Mikkola in the field of developmental hematology/hematopoiesis. My specific project examined the process by which cells

will eventually make all blood in an organism.” According to Rohr, the Amgen Scholars Program is indeed a big deal. “The research I was involved with has the potential

to save millions of lives,” says Rohr. Rohr learned many of the skills needed to be biology researcher and student in Dennis Kwasny’s A.P. Biology and Chemistry classes at Andover. “It makes me feel great,” says teacher Kwasny. “I’m very proud of my students that have gone on to do all kinds of wonderful things. I’ve

had kids that have become scientists and doctors, and Joey is one of the kids who’s probably going to go on and follow in their footsteps. I hope he goes on and continues to do great things.” “I was very excited for him and was hoping he’d

get the position [in the program],” says Wendy Rohr, Joey’s mother. “It’s always been his dream to do something with science. When other kids were watching cartoons, he’d be watching Bill Nye. [Most importantly,] he seemed to always be interested in what was going on around him. This [program] was the next logical step in a procession of steps that he’s taken toward a career in science.” Rohr also learned things from the program about being a scientist that can’t be found in a textbook.        “I learned how slow a process science sometimes can be. In order to perfect the experiments in which I took part, I needed to be patient and manipulate the variables

It’s always been his dream to do something with sci-ence. When other kids were watching cartoons, he’d be watching Bill Nye.

Wendy RohrJoey’s mother

Joey Rohr with Dr. Hanna Mikkola, his advisor in the Amgen Scholars Program

until I got good results,” Rohr says. In the end, determination triumphed.

“ P e r s e v e r a n c e [was the key,]” says Wendy. “I’m confident that he’s moving in the right direction and he’ll find the right place. I am extremely proud of him.” Looking back on a productive

s u m m e r , Rohr says, “Undergraduate oppor tunit ies in stem cell

research are few and far between. I was very fortunate to have the chance to take part in it. In whatever field you pursue there are always opportunities you just have to look for them and seize them once you find them.”

Customers line up to get a taste of Swirlberry yogurt

On a normal day, Amanda Alexander might be lazing around, shopping in Kroger when she is approached by an animated third grader shouting boisterously, “Ooh! Guess what? I just went home and recycled!” To senior Alexander, this type of confrontation isn’t irregular. As co-creator (in partnership with Audrey Fotouhi) of Go Green, an organization teaching local elementary students to recycle, Alexander has kids and parents alike coming up to her to tell her about their attempts and successes in recycling every day. “It is very satisfying.” Alexander says, “To know that you actually have made a difference and that they

actually cared, it’s great.” Go Green is an organization educating second through fourth graders on how to recycle through presentations. “Our presentations are very interactive,” she explains. “First, we start off with some shocking facts, like how much garbage one person can create. Then we show a five-minute video (The Rogue Recycler), followed by some pictures from inside a recycling plant. Then, depending on the

go

Teaching

greenSeniors teach recyling to elementariesAshley DuBoisstaff writer

studentsto

profile

Many household items have multiple uses. You can use club soda to take out a stain, peanut butter to get that Bubblicious out of your hair, and a leash to restrain…your kid? I’m walking through the airport, and as I pass the baggage claim, I look to my left and what do I see? A little girl, about five years old, being “walked” on a leash by her overbearing mother. Utterly disturbed by this scene I ask my-self, “since when have children become pets?” As I recall, a slap on the wrist used to be sufficient discipline for an unruly child, but now it seems that parents feel the need to strap their children up in order to keep them under control. A leash is a tool traditionally used to pre-vent a pet from running into traffic. Using them on children seems unnecessary and dehumanizing. Though children can be wild, they aren’t comparable to animals that needed to be caged in a zoo. I do not understand the mindsets of parents who imprison their child. It can’t just be me who’s secretly judging. I know these parents must receive questioning looks whenever in public. I simply can’t understand the rationaliza-tion that a leash is vital to their children’s safety. To keep your child close to your side, I believe a more suitable (and more normal) option would be to hold their hand. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the children’s shoes. How would you feel being “walked?” Parents seem to be set-ting their children up for rebellious teen-age years and disaster. By controlling their every move at a young age, they’ll be more likely to run wild when they grow older. The bottom line: a leash’s purpose is for walking four-legged animals, not two-legged humans.

life B3

Is the leash way too tight?Restricting children with kid leashes will lead to rebellion later on in teenage years

Lauren Lewisco-sports editor

AD

The Orchard Lake Road construction couldn’t stop me from sinking my teeth into a famous, juicy Redcoat Burger. On Septem-ber 9, the Red Coat Tavern and its celebrat-ed burger had at last made its way to West Bloomfield. Now you can say goodbye to the Royal Oak schlep and say hello to one of the best upscale burger joints in Metro Detroit. The food at Red Coat Tavern is what made Bloomfield Hills residents trek 15 miles to Royal Oak. The Redcoat Special Hamburger ($6.95) is as advertised, absolutely incred-ible. The burger is usually served with let-tuce, tomato, and pickles, but I ordered mine without tomatoes and added grilled onions. Everything was delectable. The meat was cooked to perfection, the sauce was delicious,

and the grilled onions hit the spot. Many other combinations can be created, including replac-ing the beef with lower-fat Piedmontese Beef (extra $2), but I highly suggest my order. Plain and simply, no other restaurant can compete with this whop-ping half-pound mouthwater-ing piece of bovine heaven. I was also able to enjoy thin-cut French fries ($4), an obvious perfect side dish. The Chicken Caesar Salad ($7 plain, $12 with chick-en) is a great alternative if you’re not in the mood for meat. In addition, the maca-roni and cheese is very tasty. Although I didn’t try these myself, popular appetizers include Mariner-Style Mus-sels, Scotch Eggs, and the Roadhouse Buf-falo Wings, all recommended by Keith, the manager. The Redcoat Tavern does not serve breakfast, but it does open in time for brunch. Burgers aside, if you’re looking for a place with great ambiance the Red Coat Tavern might

not be your restaurant of choice. The light-ing was overly dim. If you were to go when it’s dark outside, reading the menu could be nearly

impossible. Large parties could also pose a challenge because the tables are pretty close together. The restaurant as a whole isn’t that big, and just like its sister in Royal Oak, the wait could be out the door and up to an hour or more by 6:00, but when I went at 5:45 on a Monday night there was no line at all. Red Coat’s service is what I would call average. My waiter came simply to take orders and deliver them. He may have asked how we were doing once or twice, but nothing over the top or memorable. The Red Coat Tavern proves to be a restaurant every person should try. And once you try it, I can guarantee you’ll be back a second and third time. Although

the wait may be long and frustrating, the service may not be the best there is, and it may get crowd-ed, remember, the burger is the prize. The an-ticipation of waiting makes the burger taste even better. The Red Coat Tavern is the real deal, and that’s why it’s been a Detroit staple since 1972.

Derek Wolfestaff writer

New Red Coat Tavern restaurant on Orchard Lake Road is sure to please

Royal Oak classic arrives in Bloomfield

restaurant review

The Red Coat Tavern is the real deal, and that’s why it’s been a De-troit staple since 1972.

lifeB4

Ugg-ly boots are hotter than everAfter multiple years, Uggs remain stylish

Sara SmolerEntertainment Co-Section Editor

Bzzzzzzzz. It is 6:05 a.m., when blasting music from my alarm clock wakes me up. My favorite song blasts on the radio until I hear the D.J. say, “the high for today will be a toasty 10 degrees, and expect a snowstorm this afternoon.” As I groggily roll out of bed, I am already dreading the day that is to come. Getting dressed for school, I await the moment when I slip into my tall, cozy, sheepskin lined Ugg boots. They are my best friends on cold Michigan winter days, like today. They come in an array of colors and even patterns. From floral to patchwork, including various knit-styles, buyers options are limitless when it comes to the Ugg merchandise. If a product has the name “Ugg” attached to it, I expect many of the female population in Andover High School to be sporting it this winter. This poses the question, “what is it about Ugg boots that make them appeal to millions throughout the nation?” Is it the fluffy interior found within each sheekpskin bootie? Perhaps it is the warmth emitting off of the sheepskin material, that envelopes the

foot. Maybe, it is

the appeal of presenting a designer, b o h e m i a n look that ce lebr i t ies h a v e o v e r d o n e since the year 2004, only to result in a mainstream f a s h i o n

fiasco. Though Uggs have been notoriously labeled “ugly boots,” they continually appear on the feet of the most fashionable women each season, from Madonna to Miley Cyrus. Whatever the mysterious reason may be, it is certain that the Ugg Boot trend is inevitable. Ugg Boots will continue to invade the halls of Andover for years to come. Due to the designer world we live in, wearing one shoe brand over another is a status symbol almost as eye-catching as what car you drive. For guys, this translates into what gym shoes they wear, like the latest version of Nike high-tops. This poses another question, “where exactly do people’s priorities lie?” Though the Ugg boot is not waterproof, and the winter salt tarnishes the outer layers of the boot, people still continuously opt for the Ugg. Is it considerably worth the money to save up for the newest pattern of Uggs, or would it possibly be more strategic to purchase a less trendy, and more durable boot? I cannot recall the last time shoes have held such a powerful impact on culture. Trends like crocs, boyfriend jeans and platforms circa Spice Girls Era, all eventually fade, but it seems that the Ugg boot is here to stay. Those viewers that religiously watched the Sex and the City television seasons can recall lead character Charlotte York’s obsession with designer shoes. Who could forget accomplice Carrie Bradshaw’s walk in closet shoe emporium? This televised shoe obsession created excessive buzz with pop culture. Moreover, the original Chuck Taylor Converse remains a staple in many closets today. I similarly predict that the Ugg boot will continue to hold place in department stores across the country, and on the feet of many this coming year. As I walk out to my car to begin my school day, I realize, there really are no other boots I would rather be wearing than my fluffy tall black Uggs.

Healthcare is perhaps one of the most polarizing issues on the table right now. Particularly controversial is the role that people are comfortable letting the government play in the industry. Furthermore, at the heart of this issue is the question of whether or not the federal government should provide a public option to compete with private insurers. A public option is absolutely necessary for there to be any degree of real health care reform. If the healthcare insurance industry is left to their own devices to change, not only will prices keep going up, but we can expect the industry to continue to run roughshod over the ones who need them the most, sick Americans. People complain about ‘death panels’ when the reality is that right now those death panels exist. Insurance companies are designed to maximize profit while minimizing payouts. This creates an atmosphere that is not conducive to the health of Americans. When a faceless corporate lackey is deciding your fate with his next paycheck in mind, you get a different degree of sympathy than from someone who’s there not for the money, but to honestly help people. Health care or lack thereof affects every single American. Ultimately, if you aren’t an insurance executive, healthcare reform will have one of two effects: you will see no change in anything, or your quality of life will be improved. This is a win-win situation for the American people. A public option will drive

cost down and make health care more affordable for

the uninsured. This is an important first step toward an America where all citizens are covered and can reasonably expect to live a healthy life.

That America starts here, in 2009, with basic health care reform.

In the same way Franklin Delano Roosevelt, forever changed

the country during the midst of the Great Depression,

Barack Obama and

this generation will forever change the

face of America. And a public option is a step in the

right direction.

The United States is in the midst of a sea of change that will forever alter the nation. In Washington, one of the most debated topics is the public option in health care reform bills. Many argue that the public option is a great idea and will certainly improve the health care system, but if one examines the facts, not the emotions, they will gain an understanding of why the public option is detrimental to the United States. To start, there are few government run programs that are truly efficient, reliable, and actually save money. It is highly unlikely that a program ran by bureaucrats will run as efficiently as a private company, and health care is far too important to be damaged by bureaucrats. Lives are at stake. By having such a low cost, Americans that have a private plan’s business that provides health care for their employees, or affluent individuals who will be required to purchase such plans, may decide to use the public option. This is on top of the low-income citizens whom the public option is intended for. The long term effect of this is tens of millions of Americans being under the public option. A public option that will offer a lower cost involves the government taking a loss. With a government debt exceeding $10 trillion, the government is currently adding one trillion dollars annually to the total. With foreign governments, particularly the Chinese, owning that debt, the U.S. government cannot afford to further add to that deficit. A realistic solution to the dilemma of having unaffordable insurance plans, even with government subsidiaries, is allowing citizens to purchase plans across state lines or establish a federal insurance exchange. This method allows basic economic forces to prevail. With the new-found competition within the nation, the cost of insurance plans will go down, so they can actually be affordable for all families. Additionally, there will be more revenue from health insurance companies, which will lead to higher tax returns for the federal government. That

change, will result in a reduction of the debt, an idea almost unheard of in Washington.

With a bi-partisan bill, without the public option that reforms health care in a positive manner, President Obama will keep to his word, and be finally become the last President to tackle health care reform. If anything, America deserves that.

A public option is the best and only way towards real reform

Public option is costly, inefficient and the wrong choice for citizens

Gabe MenchakaBusiness Manager

James FeuereisenStaff Writer

Trends like Crocs, boyfriend jeans and plat-forms circa Spice Girls Era, all fade. However, it seems that the Ugg boot is here to stay.

First day at not as bad as she thought

As I rolled around restlessly in bed, butterflies swarmed my stomach reminding me of the terrors the next day held, ruining any hope I had of drifting to sleep. The past week I spent worrying about my first day of high school, and asked anyone who had high school experience what to expect. I was much more overtaken by nerves than they recalled from their own high school days. I awoke at 6:20 a.m. On the first day of high

school, I was skittish and clammy, and questions raced through my mind. I attempted to calm myself down as I got dressed for school. After frantically stuffing school supplies in my backpack, I was ready to go. In my car pool, I wasn’t in the mood to talk to my friends seated next to me. I was preoccupied thinking about all the different aspects of being a freshman. Rumors that ninth graders were the target of upperclassmen’s bullying left images of getting stuffed in a locker in my mind. Then, a voice echoing in my head said, “Almost 1,000 kids.” That meant more opportunity to get lost in a lunchroom filled with upperclassmen, some of whom had beards or could vote. Miraculously, I managed to get from the car to the auditorium. A new level of stress rose as I looked around, and saw a sea of new faces. Then, I walked into my seminar and felt a wave of loneliness. The classmates I had sat with in middle school, were nowhere in sight. Instead, the room was filled with kids already grouped together.

The lonesomeness swallowed me until I realized that I would have to branch out and meet new people. This thought hit me as I walked to lunch, giving me a jolt of confidence. In the lunchroom, the cliques were more defined than in class, and there was no way I could sit down at a new table without being labeled “weird.” Emptiness took over my emotions once again. I sat impatiently in my seventh hour class watching the clock’s second hand tick, waiting for it to show 2:30 p.m. I was ready for the day to end. Just as the bell rang, Mrs. Wendt said, “Tomorrow will be better, it just takes some getting used to.” I hoped she was right. Packing up, I felt all of the uneasy and lonely feelings were giving way to relief. It was over; I had survived my first day of high school. As my friends and I walked out of school, we shared our horror stories. One thing was certain - I wasn’t alone. We had all survived Day One. Mrs. Wendt was right. I could expect better days.

Frantic freshman’s first day blues

Eve SherbinGuest Writer

LONEY ‘TOONSJosh LoneyStaff Illustrator

Public Opinionvs Public Option

lifeB6

TIME TRAVELERSThe annual renaissance

festival delights once againAlana Tabakco-news aditor

Doth thou needth an engagement? Come hither to ye old Festival of Renaissance. Travel back in time to when gypsies, fire jugglers, knights, pirates, roasted giant turkey legs and Shakesperean English dialect are commonplace -Michigan’s Renaissance Festival. The Renaissance Festival has been taking visitors back in time since 1979. I first walked into the fair skeptical. I thought parading around in Renaissance-style clothing sounded silly. After entering I realized that it was, but in a good way. All of the assorted Renaissance-goers were festive and cheerful. They instantly brought a smile to my face. As I walked through the front gates, I was immediately swarmed by peasants, kings and queens, pirates, gypsies and fairies. I could hear the distant sound of bag pipes and merchants shouting all of their products hoping to catch a buyer’s interest. I could smell the scent of greasy food and beer wafting through the air. I even saw a small wooden castle down the path. Different shops and booths lined the long dirt paths

of the fair. The stores sold all different Renaissance-themed items including art, jewelry, leather, glass, metal, oils, toys and wood. Each shop sold unique pieces that I had never seen anywhere else. I was blown away by the goods such as leather boots, necklaces made of Celtic knots, rare incense and glass sculptures. There were about 170 booths all selling something different. I ended up buying a a couple of different things. I first bought a silver chain earring for $23 and a gold snake arm band for $34. My favorite thing that I bought was a $3 necklace with a Brazilian coin on it from a store called The Coin Mint. They had different antique and new coins from all around the world. Shopping is not the only thing

to do at the fair. I also occupied myself with henna tattoos, face painting and hair braiding, all costing between $15-$25. I also had my fortune read for $15. The fair offers caricatures as well, though I did not have enough time to get one. I also saw many shows that are replayed throughout the day. These shows include Renaissance music, dancing, and acting. One of the shows I saw included bagpipes. Although bagpipes are not what I would call my cup of tea, I enjoyed it because it matched the festive mood that everyone was in. After shopping, getting tattoos, having my fortune read

and watching some shows, I was quite hungry. The Renaissance Fair is known for its giant, roasted whole turkey legs. Although I did not get one, I heard they are delicious. After searching through dozens of Renaissance-themed food booths with offerings such as soup in a bread bowl, baked goods, scotch eggs and apple dumplings, all around $5, I decided I wanted some “modern” food. I passed many booths selling crispy chicken sandwiches, sugary elephant ears (which they called dragon wings), hamburgers, breadsticks with marinara sauce, large pickles, deep fried onion rings and even things like vegetable tempura and Chinese food. I finally settled on french fries. They were nothing special, just the average crispy fried potato strips, lightly salted. I was still hungry after this, so I decided on getting the breadsticks. They were made out of the same thin and crispy dough as the elephant ears, which was quite strange. Instead of sugar, Parmesan cheese was sprinkled on top and I was given a little cup of marinara sauce. The breadsticks were mediocre, like the french fries, and also very greasy. I thought I had done almost everything there

was to do at the fair. I was wrong. There were man powered rides I had not checked out yet. Swings, zip lines and harnessed trampoline jumping rides are scattered throughout the fair. Each ride costs about $2. I did not go on any of the rides because they did not look like much fun because they were very slow and only lasted about three minutes each. There were also free children’s activities including games, castle playscapes and projects. I did not bring my dog, but I learned that pets are welcome at the festival. Renaissance Festival doors open at 10 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. The festival goes through the weekend of October 4. With so much to do, one should plan on staying the whole day. Michigan’s Renaissance Festival is held off of Dixie Highway in Holly. Each adult ticket costs $18.95 and children’s tickets cost $9.95. Tickets are sold on the website, www.michrenfest.com, for a couple dollars cheaper. The best part of my day had to be on my way out when I was a bid “Fare thee well!” by a gnome.

Three foster children find better home within Andover communityKetan Murthystaff writer

been fostering a family of five whose ages range from two-year-old Larry to nine year old Jashaun, with Edrick, Tyree, and Javeon in the middle, ages three to six. During this time Amariah, who is the only female in the house besides her mom, has seen remarkable changes in the kids. “When they first came they were kind of sad, they didn’t like to hug people, and now they’re just hugging everyone.” Of the five, Larry, the youngest brother, has shown the biggest change. “[Larry] was really standoffish. Now he likes being around us. Every now and then he’ll ask where someone is, even though he knows where they are, just as a way of checking that they’re still there. When you see a two-year-old doing that, you can tell he’s used to people going in and out of his life, and it’s really sad,” says Jeremiah. Because he and his four brothers are being adopted

by the Valentines, Rickey says Larry will have to worry about anymore. “We’re mainly adopting them because their parents

are unfit to care for the children. They’re not financially stable, and most of the dads are incarcerated or drug addicts.” After the adoption of Larry and his brothers, the Valentines will no longer be a foster family. Because it wasn’t always easy to say goodbye to the kids who passed through her house over fourteen years, Amariah looks forward to the change. “It’s hard, because we had twins one time. They were really young, and there was one girl and one boy and we liked them so much, and it turned out that they couldn’t stay. They gave them to us for a weekend, and on Monday we lost them.” In spite of this, Amariah’s father believes the process has taught his children to be more caring and selfless. “It’s not an easy road, and it can be

daunting at times,” her father says. “[If families like ours are] willing to give, accept the faults they [the foster kids] have no control over, it’s rewarding, especially with the little ones.”

Ten people, six bedrooms, one roof. For junior twins Jeremiah and Amariah, this is their reality. “We decided to do it [foster children] because we wanted to give the kids something they couldn’t get in their other homes. We thought we were financially stable enough to take on somebody else’s kid and give them something that nobody gave us,” says Rickey Valentine, Jeremiah and Amariah’s father. Rickey explains that Michigan’s foster care system is made up of families like his, who volunter their homes to kids who have faced abuse or neglect in their previous situations. “Basically, we’re holding them till their parents get themselves together,” says Jeremiah. “But if they’re like the ones we have now [whose parents haven’t] they are up for adoption.” For the past three months the Valentines have

Valentine family takes in foster childrenWe decided to do it [foster children] be-cause we wanted to give the kids some-thing they couldn’t get in their other homes. We thought we were financially stable enough to take on somebody else’s kid.Rickey ValentineAndover parent

Come see Andover’s production of

13, 14, 15 20, 21, 22

November

MichRenFest

- In Holly about a 40 minute drive from Bloomfield Hills

- Ticket Prices: Adult: $18.95,Child: $9.95 and S t u d e n t / S e n i o r : $16.95

- Runs August 22 through October 4

- Yearly attendance over 200,000

renaissance festival

photo

by M

adi M

cIlho

n

life B5

GREEN: AlexanderThen, depending on the presentation we’re doing, we’ll play an interactive game.” “You’d be surprised. We can go for 25, 30 minutes on a presentation and there will still be so many questions that we’ll have to cut them off, and be like, um, we have to go now,” says Alexander. “I love bringing in guest ‘experts’ as it helps the students become engaged,” says Marnie Diem, a third grade teacher at Conant. “They’re always curious when guests are in the classroom.” According to Diem, the students at Conant are now 100 percent pro-recycling, and Alexander and Fotouhi are able to continue with their passion for the environment. “Amanda has been very ‘Go Green,’” says Stacey Alexander, mother of Alexander, “Audrey and Amanda have been reaching out to children and along the way solidifying their passion for the environment.” Both the girls share the same enthusiasm and passion for the environment. “Audrey has always been super ‘eco-friendly’, so she’s always been pushing for that. I, on the other hand, have more of the business knowledge that we needed to make the organization a success,” Alexander says, “It’s a really good partnership.” And together this partnership is almost flawless. Their presentations improved with experience, becoming more fine tuned, since they began last year. They started locally, with Way, Conant and Hickory Grove Elementary, and continued on to live coverage from Fox 2 News and ABC. “It was at Conant, this past Earth Day. We were presenting to the whole school, and Fox 2 News and ABC were there to cover it.” Alexander says, “I wasn’t really nervous. We were just focusing on the kids.” The footage of the presentation aired later that night. “It was so cool. It was like the most exciting thing of our lives. When it aired, we were calling each other screaming at the top of our lungs.” Alexander says. With help from Marnie Diem, the organization really got on its feet after the assembly. Unfortunately, they are still not completely on their feet. Any non-profit organization has issues with finances, and Go Green no exception. According to Alexander, it only takes a couple hundred dollars to fund such a localized institute, but as Go Green jumps out of the nest, it is getting more and more difficult. “Money is one of the big problems slowing us down. We’re in the process of trying to get a grant from Rizzo and Waste Management. It’s proving to be very challenging,” Alexander says. The real problem is shipping across the state, mailing ‘supply kits’ for other districts to start the program and recruiting high school students to present the information. Overall, the organization is a success, according to Alexander. A success slowly spreading it’s completely organic wings across the state. “Amanda and Audrey believe in the power of their message. They are determined to make ‘Go Green’ the best it can be,” Stacey Alexander says, “I’m so positively proud [of them].” Amanda Alexander says, “We can’t believe it. It’s amazing how far we’ve come.”

From B2

TWO: HistoryYou would be sent to Vietnam. What I remember most is how politically active we became. The school tried to institute a policy on the length of our hair and how short our skirts could be. We staged a student protest and walked out of class. It made all the local newspapers. Boys were finally allowed to have their hair touch the collar of their shirt. At the time it was a revolutionary thing to have happen in Bloomfield Hills. The whole hippy thing was about being “anti-fashion”. Levi’s, a t-shirt with a message on it, mini-skirts and “granny” dresses were the trend. Dressing up for homecoming, wearing a corsage, etc. was something that the “preps” did,” she says. Although the homecoming dance lost popularity toward the 70s, football games remained a huge social event. “Designing floats and creating the parade are my best memories. I don’t recall the Andover Barons ever winning a single football game when I went to school there. We went to the football games to hang out with each other and have fun with our friends-watching the game wasn’t the priority. It wasn’t all that cool to be a jock in 1968. The homecoming court was typically made up of a few cheerleaders, a class officer and it always seemed one or two “Jills” were elected. To be a “Jill” was a big deal,” says Johnson. “It was fun! Everybody would go to the football games,”says Huffman. “In those days, the biggest thing you could do was maybe go out and smoke a cigarette behind the bleachers. So it was all about going out and having clean fun. After the games we’d go out for simple food like a hamburger and fries-something really boring, think like the old TV shows. Then we’d go someone’s house and have a party where there would be lots of dancing.” Johnson adds that there are a few things Bloomfield Hills high schoolers should know. “There aren’t many things that you get to keep for a lifetime. Your memories, personal achievements and education from Bloomfield Hills schools are 3 of them. They are yours forever, make the most of your time there,” advises Johnson. Huffman concludes with her wise words. “I have far too many wise words but here’s the basics for my Bloomfield Hills youngsters: keep on truckin, don’t give up on the world, Obama will do something, and get an education. In order to see the world you have to really live in it-go expand your horizons.”

From B1

BOOK: Lost Symbol

From B1

When he finally pulled the rug out from under me, it wasn’t big, over-the-top, or even slightly shocking. Dan Brown is not an excellent writer. He has no real style, or voice. The only tone he portrays is condescending. The entire book he tries to impress the reader with ridiculous amounts of research. The research, however, is Symbol’s strongest feature- most of the time. As a “warning” in the front of the book states: all symbols, science, etc. are real. The history of the Ancient Mysteries and the Freemason’s society is quite fascinating, as is our country’s concealed history. The most interesting aspect is the discussion of Noetics, the science of consciousness, that Dr. Soloman is an expert in. As Brown describes it, the field of Noetics is mindboggling, and I imagine since Symbol’s release Google searches for the word have spiked. Sadly, Noetics can’t pull The Lost Symbol out of the former book’s shadows. It’s neither as fast paced as Angels and Demons or as shocking as Da Vinci. If you’re looking for a thriller, you get half of one. If you’re looking for a research paper, you get a third of one. If you’re looking for a great read, this isn’t it.

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andovershield The Andover Shield is on Twitter! Get all the latest AHS announcementssuch as school news and sports scores on your computer or phone! Follow us!

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JaneDoe21 @johndoe20 yo john, you can also check twitter from your iphone! Just download an app from the app store. (p.s. they’re free too!)

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Tweet_tweet @twoot Twitter is really cool when you get all your friends to sign up!You can tweet about school, life, anything, and see what all your friends think!

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JaneDoe21 @rainnwilson Heyyy! What’s it like playing Dwight on NBC’s The O�ce???P.S., I think its really cool that you can follow THOUSANDS of celebs on twitter!

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With over 3,655,618 followers,Ashton Kutcher has the mostfollowers on twitter

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Kyle Kavanagh

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Three football players follow re-ligious traditions while part teamJake Gordonco-editor-in-chiefAs Head Coach James DeWald belts out, “Water,” spots around the Wa-terboy fill up with varsity football players. But as their teammates pass the six water-squirting spouts around, three players are left iso-lated, taking a knee on the field. “It is Osama’s choice to fast and it’s Osama’s choice to continue to play football due to his sense of re-sponsibility to the team,” says Mo-hamed El-Sayed, Osama’s father. “He chose when he began fasting and I delayed it [his fasting] until he was old enough to make his own choice. I am proud of his sense of responsi-bilty, his self-dicipline, and his good values.” Seniors Osama El- Sayed and Omar Hadied, as well as junior Zafar Wazir deprive themselves of the basic amenity of water because of their religion, Islam. During the thirty-day long holiday of Ramadan, the only time that Muslims are al-

lowed to eat or drink is while the sun is down. Baron’s Offensive coordinator, Adam Korzeniewski, realizes the difficul-ties his players choose to go through. “When they [the players who keep Ramadan] have exhausted their sugar stores without re-plenishing them, when they have broken down their carbohydrate stores without replenishing them they are at risk of becoming catabolic and breaking down muscle,” says Korzeniewski, “Your brain is a little bit dif-ferent. It can only use true glucose. It can-not use energy that is stored in fat. So the first thing that is go-ing to go from them is their attention and their aware-ness and their ability to focus and they will physically start to breakdown from there.” Although the ability to focus is tech-nically the first thing to flounder, El-Sayed be-lieves his mental status remains unhindered. “During Ramadan I am much more fo-cused. It may sound weird. During football,

for me, it’s reading the guard better as well as blocking the right person. I don’t worry about being thirsty. I play better.” To compensate for his energy depletion, El-Sayed wakes up be-fore sunrises to load up on calories. “I’ll wake up at 5:30 a.m. and just start eating. I’ll usually just eat a sandwich. But food is not usually the problem as much as water is. I’ll drink a whole gallon at night.

Then when I wake up in the morn-ing I drink two more bottles of water.” While El- Sayed finds that he is more focused and able to play football during Ramadan, sophomore Zafar Wazir has discovered that he is unable to play. “I was playing in game and I hadn’t eaten that morning and I hadn’t eaten that day,” says Wazir. “I felt one or two steps slower during every play I was in. I was dizzy and disoriented the entire game. Shira [Schiff, Andover athletic trainer] had to take me out to give me glucose because my body was shaking I can’t play now because I don’t have the calories to burn.” Rachel Tinknell, Athletic intern from Central Michigan University, also be-lieves that depletion of water in the body is the biggest risk the athletes face. “That (fasting) is hard on anybody who is not doing physical activity, and

they [El-Sayed, Wazir, Hadied] are playing football. That is a very excruciating sport. So that on top of it just makes me nervous

I don’t worry about being thirsty. I play better.

Osama El-SayedSenior

Senior takes on unique sportSiegfried Bierekoven is world’s second best disc golfer under 18Nikki Kiesterstaff writer

Stepping out onto the grass, Siegfried (Zig-gy) Bierekoven takes his last putt. This shot could make or break the round. He concentrates and tosses the disc straight into the basket and takes first in the tourna-ment. After shaking hands with all the play-ers in his round, he throws his hands in the air to celebrate his shot, and takes a deep breath releasing stress. The hard part is over. Bierekoven moved to Bloomfield Hills this summer from Royal Oak. He has played disc golf since he was 11 years old and con-tinues to compete at the world-champion-ship level, currently ranking as the sec-ond best player in the under 18 division. “I used to live next to a course in Royal Oak,” Bierekoven says. “I went there the day before

my 11th birthday and I saw guys throwing what I thought was a frisbee at metal baskets. I asked them what it was. They explained to me that it was disc golf and I went home and told my mom that I wanted discs for my birthday.” Bierekoven says “Basically you have this frisbee thing called a ‘disc,’ and it goes far-ther than any other kind of frisbee, and it’s like golf. Your arm is like the club and your disc is like the ball. You want to get the disc into the metal contraption, the bas-ket, in the least amount of throws possible.” Bierekoven plays both locally in places like Troy’s parks and around the nation in tournaments. “It doesn’t annoy me when people ask what the heck disc golf is because it’s not really well known, so I can understand if someone asks and I’ll tell them because I didn’t re-ally know at one time,” says Bierekoven. Since disc golf is an individual sport, Bierekoven fits practice in whenever pos-sible. On the day of the tournament, he arrives right when the game begins as op-posed to hours before in order to warm-up. “I get there as it starts so I get into the zone.” says Bierekoven. Although Bierekoven is not ranked at the top, the number one ranking is not out of reach. “The number one disc golfer in the world

is in the same grade as I am. I personally feel that we’re around the same level, but he gets ranked higher because he plays in more small tournaments than I do. I’ve played against him before, and the one round I played with him, I beat him. ” “I’m proud of my son and all of his accomplishments,” says Bier-ekoven’s mom, Lynne Wolensski. “He is currently a sponsored pro-disc golfer as a senior in high school. Above all, he is devoted to the sport. He puts one hundred percent into every practice and tournament.” Bierekoven is passionate about the sport and tries to get his friends in on the fun. Though he doesn’t play often, Bierekoven’s friend Andy Bawol of Clin-ton Township plays with him on occa-sion for the social aspect of the game. “Playing disc golf with Ziggy is fun because it’s always a challenge to try to out-do him. The competition makes the games intense. Ziggy will make these nearly impossible shots, while I’m trying to focus on getting the disc relatively near the basket.” says Bawol. “The way I look at it is that there’s no point in playing it if you’re not having fun.” Bierkoven says.

Men join varsity cheerMale cheerleaders add a new element

to varsity squadDavid Rohrstaff writer

There’s something new to Andover’s Varsity Cheer team, and it has a Y-chromosome. Senior Hunter Cooper and sophomore Jake Pazner represent two of the new varsity cheerleaders and the only two boys on the team since 2006. It all started last fall, when Cooper played football. After one devastating hit, Cooper felt something was wrong with his arm, a recurring injury from wrestling season. “I actually went into the hospi-tal for a separated and dislocated shoulder and they discovered frac-tures in my verte-brae,” says Cooper. After an MRI, Cooper learned that the disks inbe-tween his vertebrae were degenerating. In short, his neck looked like the neck of a man thirty years older than him. He opted to avoid sur-gery, which would keep him eligible to wrestle come wres-tling season and dropped football. Then Cooper, fac-ing an empty fall schedule, looked for a new activ-ity. “After talking to my mom, she told me that colleges always need guy cheerleaders,” he says. In fact, colleges are willing to give very fair scholarships to cheerleaders that make the team, a feat much more attainable for males. “I talked to the Michigan State coach,” Cooper says, “and he said definitely try out.” Cooper could potentially earn a scholarship to Michigan State or many other colleges need-ing male cheerleaders, but he knew he needed practice first. Last spring, Cooper tried out for the cheer team, along with friend Pazner. “Hunter asked me to try out with him, and it seemed like it could be a lot of fun,” Pazner says. Erin Cervi, varsity cheer coach, however, admits that she was at first skeptical of the boys trying out. “When Hunter and Jake showed up at tryouts I was a bit surprised and uncertain if they were mocking the team or serious about the sport,” says Cervi. “However, within 5 minutes they joined right in and tried to do everything the girls were do-ing. Both Hunter and Jake took the tryout very seriously.” Varsity captain Kate Merchant agrees. “At first [I thought it was a joke] but not anymore. Now they seem very serious about it.” While both guys made the team, they faced a different sort of cheering problem: cheer camp. There, amongst the 150 varsity cheerleaders, they were the only two guys. “Cheer camp was a lot of good, clean, American fun,” Cooper asserts. “And a lot of hard work, too.

Bierekoven prepares for a big tournament. He is trying to perfect his aim while tossing a disc towards his metal target.

Cooper pumps up the stands at a JV football game. He is one of two males on the cheerleading squad this year.

Zack Motta practices mixed martial arts

Photo by Madeline McIlhon

acing theFastingF Photo by Jake Gordon

Photo by Madeline McIlhon

Please see RAMADAN, C3 Please see CHEERLEADING, C3

> C3

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sportsPage C2

Running through the generationsNew cross country coach and mother, Beth Sinclair, contributes many years of experience to 2009 teamAlex Chudlercopy editor

    Beth  Sinclair  prepares  for  her  cross  country meet,  stretching  and  tying  her  shoes.   She  has butterflies  in her stomach as she steps up  to  the starting line.  Also on her mind is her sick mother in  the  hospital  who  could  not  be  at  her  race.  Sinclair doesn’t expect much from herself as she begins  running  the  difficult  course.    She  comes to  a  large  hill,  and  the  thought  of  her  mother motivates her to run faster and she begins to pass the  other  runners.   She  continues  to  run  faster and  faster,  and as  the others  fall behind, Sinclair finishes the race, qualifying for state finals.    Sinclair  began  running at  O.  E.  Dunckel  Middle School.  She broke records in the half-mile, mile, two-mile,  the  cross  country record  and  four-by-eight relay at North Farmington High School, qualified for state championships twice and  ran  in  college  for Miami University in Ohio.     “I  started  running cross  country  because it’s  something  my  family did,”  Sinclair  says.   “My grandfather,  father  and uncle are all award-winning cross  country  runners.”  Sinclair’s grandfather also ran  at  Miami  University and finished fourth in the nation  in  the  two-mile  run in  1926  and  eighth  in  the  mile  run  in  1927.   He and Sinclair’s uncle are both inductees in the Ohio Association  of  Track  and  Cross  County  Coaches Hall of Fame.    “I know they are definitely excited and proud for me,” Sinclair says.   Sinclair continued running until she had to stop in college due to numerous injuries.     “I kept getting stress fractures in the same place in my feet,” Sinclair says.  “It was quite painful.  They plagued  me  throughout  my  running  career.   I missed my entire junior year of track and half my junior year of cross-country.  I got into bike racing later instead.  I do more biking than running now.   It  was  a  great  accomplishment  to  be  able  to  run through all that and rise above it though, which is something that is really important to me with the team now.”   Because of Sinclair’s bad experiences with injuries during her career, she believes  it  is  important  to help the team prevent similar injuries.  

   “We have a very young team, and I feel it’s really important not to overrun them and let their  bodies,  bones  and  muscles  grow  into what they’re doing,” she says.  “My philosophy is  that  if  I  give  100  percent,  they  give  100 percent and that’s all I can ask for.  I just hope that  they  have  fun,  that  they  are  injury-free and that they learn the work ethic.    When  they  look back on  their experience, it’s  not  so  much  the  individual  times  they remember,  it’s  the  fun  stuff  like  the  nail painting party that we had the other day.   Team bonding and camaraderie are important.”      Leading  a  healthy  lifestyle  is  another  goal that Sinclair wants her team to learn.    “I  try  to  teach  them  about  nutrition  and things  like  that.   Running  is  about  staying healthy.  It’s something you can do your whole life.  While some sports require a whole team to play, anybody can run.”   The  cross  country  runners  are  glad  to have  Sinclair  as  a  coach  and  say  that  she  is extremely helpful.   “She’s  a  really  good  coach  and  definitely knows  what  she’s  doing,”   says  sophomore Lise  Devits.   “We’re  already  having  a  much 

better  season than  last  year.  It’s  really  cool to know  that she has been running her entire life.  It makes  us  want to run faster and impress her.”     Although Sinclair is not new to  coaching,  she has never before coached her own children.     “At  first,  I  was a  little  worried about  my  mom being  a  part of  my  life  at school,”  says 

senior  Travis  Sinclair.  “But  now  that  she  is coaching  I  see  that  it  is  not  a  problem.   It’s nice because we are able to talk about races and running at home, as well as at practice.”    Sinclair is happy for the opportunity to spend more  time  with  her  daughter  and  says  they have a very good working relationship.   “I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t feel that I could work with her and be a coach to the whole  team,”  Sinclair  says.   “We  work  very well  together.   From  a  parental  standpoint, the only difference is that I’m not able to be there to see her finish a race.”   Lexi Sinclair says that Sinclair does not push her any harder than the rest of the girls.      “She  doesn’t  want  me  to  be  a  special exception  just  because  I’m  her  daughter,  so she  treats  me  the  same  as  everyone  else,” Lexi says.  “She doesn’t put a lot of pressure on me.  She just wants me to be the best I can be.”

Hurdle reflects on his coaching careerWhen career began in 1977, varsity coach had no idea his impact would make on students’ lives

Emily Langnasco-sports editor

    He knows everything about every player. He  notices  everything.   And  when  he  says something, everyone listens.    “Coach Hurdle doesn’t  say a  lot  so when he does it is valuable,” says senior volleyball captain Jesse Prepolec.  “You know when he says something that he really means it.”    However   when  Robert Hurdle’s  career  began  in 1977  he  never  imagined the  impact  he  would have  on  his  students  and players.    “My  beginnings  were kind  of  accidental. Volleyball was not a sport I would have ever thought I  would  coach,”  he  says.  “When  I  was  a  first-year teacher and football coach, the school had just lost their volleyball coach.  When the principal  came  to  me  at the  end  of  the  season  and asked  me  to  coach  girl’s volleyball,  I laughed  at  the thought.  However,  first-year  teachers  don’t  refuse so I coached volleyball that first year.”    “When Bob began coaching the Andover volleyball  team,  he  injected  the  program with  much  needed  energy,  passion,  and knowledge  of  the  sport,”  Darya  Lucas,  a former 1998 to 2002 Andover varsity volleyball player says.  “ He knows the game well, and sees certain qualities and abilities in players that they often don’t see in themselves.  He 

capitalizes  on  those  strengths  and  brings  out the best skill level in each player.”     Along with being a Baron for sixteen seasons, Hurdle became a Golden Grizzlie coaching the Oakland  University  Women’s  Volleyball  Team from 1982  to 1992. Fifteen years  later,  he was even inducted into their coaching hall of fame.   “As much as I loved coaching and being part of the program at Oakland University, it became important  to  look  at  the  big  picture,”  he  says. “What  really  mattered  at  that  time  was  being around the house more and coaching in college isn’t  really  conducive  to  that  because  when you aren’t playing, you are recruiting or on the phone.     “I want to be successful, but successful  is a relative term,” he says. “Sometimes that means wins and losses. Other times,   it means having an experience where you show growth.  I always want  to  win.  Sometimes  winning,  though,  is 

giving  a  kid a  positive experience.”    Lucas c o n f i r m s H u r d l e ’ s p e r s p e c t i v e “On  a  personal level, I certainly can’t  describe the impact Bob has had on me as  an  athlete and as a person.  I  learned  to play  a  much higher  level of  volleyball because of him and  learned  to truly  love  the 

s p o r t .  More  importantly, however, we have grown to be good friends.   I have known him since I was ten years old, and he has supported me through many important stages in my life, even after high school.”     “I am one of the most fortunate people around because I get to teach and coach, things I truly enjoy,”  says  Hurdle.   “Everyday  I  get  up  and look forward to going to work.”

Sophomore plays two varsity sportsYousif doubles up playing two varsity sports in the fall season Jarred Bratleystaff writer      After  finishing  up  the final  round  of  a  victorious tennis match, Jonah Yousif, a  sophomore  at  Andover, has  no  time  to  celebrate. Rushing  to  the  next opposing school  to  start  in the  soccer  game,  he  has only  twenty  minutes  to prepare.  Finally,  the  game won, instead of passing out, with  cleats  and  shin  pads still on, Jonah is looking at a days’ worth of homework.  Although  school  comes first, Yousif has also chosen to perticipate on the varsity 

soccer  and  tennis  teams,  both of which he plays concurrently this fall.     “Really,  I’ve  always  played two  sports  during  the  fall season,  just  in  past  years  one has  not  been  associated  with my school.” says Yousif.    In previous seasons and  last year  as  a  freshman,  Yousif participated  in  club  soccer  in addition  to  playing  tennis  at Andover.   Yousif  says  the  reason  for joining  both  teams  was  that “This year the club soccer team doesn’t  have  a  season  during the fall. So I got permission to compete  with  both  teams  as  a Baron.”    For  Yousif,  more  conflict emerges  from  playing  two sports  simultaneously.  Since both  tennis  and  soccer  are school programs, the schedules are similar.   “Some  days  the  event 

calendars  overlap,  but  soccer games  tend  to  be  later,  while tennis matches are usually right after school,” explains Yousif.   During the fall season, tennis begins at 2:30 p.m. Soccer then begins later, at 3:00 p.m. In order to  attend both practices, Yousif leaves  tennis  at  3:45  p.m.  and immediately  travels  to  soccer practice.  Both of Yousif’s coaches, Geoff Parkinson  and  Steve  Herdoiza, are  very  impressed  with  his efforts  to  accommodate  both sports  and  feel  that  the  tough schedule  does  not  effect  the quality of his performance.AHS  soccer  coach,  Geoff Parkinson, explains that “Jonah is very conscious of the situation and  communicates  very  well. He is very committed to making everything  run  as  smooth  as possible.”  The  coaches  agree that  although  sometimes  he  is not  around at  the beginning or end  of  practice,  he  performs well  enough  to  start  as  wide mid on the soccer team and is to-date,  undefeated  in  tennis with  his  doubles  partner  Ray Ohara.    In order to properly prepare for school while managing both sports, Yousif explains  that  “A lot of it is planning ahead. I try to  complete  as  much  work  as I  can  on  the  weekends  and  at school.  That  eliminates  some pressure from the week, since sometimes  I  get  home  for  the first  time  after  school  at  10:00 p.m.”   When it comes to his personal preference  of    one  sport  or the  other  Yousif  is  indifferent “Both  sports  host  a  different environment. Soccer  is a  team sport, while tennis is individual or  with  only  one  partner.  The sports complement each other since  they  both  require  speed and  coordination.  I  also  get the  opportunity  to  meet  a  lot of  new  people,”  he  said.  All reasons why he couldn’t settle for just one. 

My philosophy is that if I give 100 percent, they give 100 percent and that’s all I can ask for. BETH SINCLAIR Cross Country Coach

I am one of the most fortunate people around because I get to teach and coach, things I truly enjoy.ROBERT HURDLEBusiness Teacher

Photo by Madeline MacIlhon

Photo by Kyle Kavanagh

Go Baron Football!Don’t forget to

attend the homecoming

game vs. North Farmington

Baron cards on sale for

$10

sports Page C3

Rise of the WolverinesWith new players and a new attitude, the Michigan Wolverines are back in the national spotlightMatt Luckoffco-sports editor

Over the history of sports, fans have witnessed amazing underdog stories unfold. Whether it be the young, inexperienced Detroit Pistons defeating the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals, or the Giants beating the undefeated Patriots in the 2007 Superbowl, fans are drawn to the success of the underdog. Yes, I agree these two examples are tremendous accomplishments, especially the Pistons (not to be biased or anything…), but what I love to see is what I call “super underdog” stories. These “super underdogs” are not just underdogs, but are something much more (hence the super). These teams or individuals defy all odds, and come out on top regardless of what their expectations are. These “super underdogs” fight through whatever turmoil they may face and just do one thing: win. The all-time great “super underdog” successes include the fictional story of Rocky and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team completing the “miracle.” Both are fan favorites and can truly be considered “super underdog” classics.

Now in a day where professional sports are created equal and, more often than not, the best team wins the championship, when is our next “super u n d e r d o g ” story going to emerge? I’ll tell you when: now.

I’ll also tell you who: the

Michigan Wolverines. I know they own the most wins in NCAA Division I-A history, along with the highest winning percentage, but they have the perfect ingredients to become the next great underdog story, and to maybe, just maybe ascend to “super underdog” story status. The Wolverines have faced more turmoil in the last 12 months than the last 129 years combined. Following a 3-9 season, the worst in school history, the Wolverine’s have been publicly accused of a major NCAA violation and head coach Rich Rodriguez has been sued for a failed real estate investment. Lets take a look at the Wolverines on paper. Michigan has two freshman at quarterback (both still teenagers), in what may be one of the most complex offenses ever run at the college level, not to mention the fact that they only have 17 seniors on the roster. Therefore, college football expert analysts have predicted Michigan to have no more than 8 wins, and some said they’d be lucky to win their first game. In a situation like this, an average team would probably collapse, a team with a good underdog story would win a game or two more than the experts predict, but a team with a “super underdog” story would win their conference and maybe even the National Championship. Yes, I can probably guess the thoughts now running through your mind, I’m probably just a way too optimistic, and maybe a little insane, Michigan fan, but I can assure you my views are valid. Unlike last year Michigan has begun the season with confidence and now has the players to run Rich Rodriguez’s magnificent spread offense. With an offensive roster overhaul and new defensive coaching staff the Wolverines are a complete new team. Despite countless off season challenges, Michigan has looked extremely impressive thus far, even outscoring Notre Dame, one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Looking ahead at their schedule, the Wolverines face only two obstacles, Ohio State and Penn State, both at home. Ohio State has looked mediocre up to this point, and Michigan has beaten Penn State nine out of the last ten times they’ve played. In a down year in the Big Ten and an easier schedule than usual, the Wolverines look poised to rebound and go back to the glory days Call me crazy, but the Wolverines can legitimately pull this off, if you won’t take my word for it I’ll just let the maize and

blue prove it themselves.

 

The Wolver-ines have faced more turmoil in the last 12 months than the last 129 years

Soccer team moves up divisionSoccer team moves up to top divison in OAA

James Feuereisenstaff writer

Walking off the soccer field at the end of the 2008 Andover soccer season, senior Joe Wyzgoski had no idea that his soccer career was about to change forever. “For the 2009 season, the Oakland Activities Association, OAA, moved varsity soccer from three to two divisions,” says R.J Guizetti, Andover’s athletic director. “Andover used to be in the middle division, but when the decision

was made to create two, it was decided that Andover would be in the upper division, which has the best teams. That decision was based upon the overall strength of the soccer program at each school. “After last season, at the annual coach’s meeting, re-organizing the divisions was discussed. A proposal was made to establish two divisions, and the proposal passed when voted on,” says Guizetti. Guizetti adds that the reason the Oakland Activities Association changed the divisions was due to the fact that larger, division one schools did not want to compete against each other twice per season. By establishing two divisions, this problem was eliminated. The lack of a JV program at some schools was a factor as it sometimes caused scheduling conflicts. When varsity soccer head coach of ten years, Geoff Parkinson, found out at last fall’s coach’s meeting that there were plans to split into two divisions, he was against the proposal to create two teams, as he felt the team’s schedule would be too difficult. However, because the division one schools were in unanimous agreement, there were enough votes to create the change when it was finally voted on. “With the new divisions, our regular season is excessively difficult,” explains Parkinson. “This season, we play large division one schools such as Rochester Adams, Clarkston, Lake Orion, and Troy, along with smaller school such as Lahser. Around five of teams in the higher

division are currently ranked in the state.” “In the past, we had much more control over the difficulty of our schedule. Currently, I feel that our team does not appear to be competitive in the new division. However, we are giving ‘our all’ in every game we play,” says Parkinson. While Coach Parkinson has his doubts regarding the new arrangement of teams, he believes players on the soccer team are more optimistic about this new configuration. “When I found about our new division in the spring, I was really excited,” co-captain says Joe Wyzgoski. “I think being in this new division will help us in the playoffs, as we are challenged in every game. Also, our regular season record does not matter as playoff seeds are completely random.” Now part of a new division, the soccer team

has had to change its strategy in games.

“In our games, we are playing much more defense as our opponents are high power attacking teams. Additionally, our opponents also have great defenses, which makes it harder for our offense,” says Parkinson. Parkinson concludes, “Staying with the new system or going back to the original both have pros and cons. Once the season is over, I will decide whether I will support a new configuration

or lobby for a return to the original one.”

Motta makes MMA matterFor senior Zack Motta mixed martial arts proves to relieve stressRachel Rohrjunior advisor When senior Zack Motta was picked on by his older brother as a kid and made fun of by his peers because of the scar on his face, he chose to do something about it. Motta took up mixed martial arts.

Motta has now been doing mixed martial arts (MMA) for 14 years. MMA, which was popularized with the U l t i m a t e F i g h t i n g Championship, is a combat sport that uses a variety of martial arts such as karate and wrestling. Those who p a r t i c i p a t e in the sport t y p i c a l l y b e c o m e s p e c i a l i z e d in one of the martial arts. “After a few years of training you figure out what you’re best at,” explains Motta.

“I specialize in Muay Thai, where you use the sharper areas of the body like the elbows and knees to strike the opponent.” Motta’s Muay Thai coach is from Thailand,

where the martial art has a long history. Originally, Motta focused on taekwondo which was a big part of his life for seven years. He earned his black belt in taekwondo and was recruited to help teach classes at his gym. Motta now focuses on mixed martial arts at a gym with professional coaches and fighters. They organize his fights, finding opponents who practice equally and have similar experience. Motta learns of fights four to six weeks in advance to step up his training in the weeks before the fight. Since starting, Motta has been in two fights. He won both. Motta has really enjoyed his years fighting. “I like the physical aspect of it,” he says. He thrives when in the cage. “Once you walk into the octagon you turn into a completely different person.” Yet since it is such a physical sport, there is, of course, a great risk he takes with every fight. “It is a very very dangerous sport,” he says. “I almost broke my arm once. Another time I had to get an MRI on my knee and found out I tore my ACL [anterior cruciate ligament].” Despite the danger, Motta would like to try to go professional after college. He realizes, however, that he can’t rely on this dangerous profession and wants a degree and career to fall back on. Currently, Motta is taking a break from training to focus on college. After graduating, he hopes to go to a gym regularly and get serious about MMA. Until then, Motta plans on looking into some type of intramural wrestling in college. Motta’s mom, Robin Motta, has witnessed the importance mixed martial arts has had in her son’s life. “Through [his] long commitment to Martial Arts, he learned the importance of respect and discipline. Besides making some friendships with instructors, he is now able to defend himself in almost any situation. He continues to have an ethic of great integrity and I would attribute that to his continuing commitment to MMA.” Although originally just a sport taken up for defense against bullies, MMA has played a significant role in Motta life. “Hopefully I’ll pick it up again soon,” conclues Motta. I have a passion for it. I really enjoy it.”

Fun Facts on

MMA

* MMA first gained worldwide exxpo-sure in the United States in 1993

*  UFC was cre-ated from the popularity of MMA

*  Modern MMA can be traced back to fighting in Europe and Japan in the early 1900’s

CHEERLEADING: Males now on squad

RAMADAN: keeping commitmentsthat they will deplete their system. They could go into shock and when that happens your system and central nervous system just start to shut down.” Even with all of the costs that come with the fol-lowing the holiday of Ramadan El-Sayed still sees the meaning of the holiday as an important one. “It is a reminder of those less fortunate. There are people who eat like I do all year round. You can’t take eating and drinking for granted.” The coaches do realize the effects that their

religious commitments have on them, how-ever they are granted no special treatment. “They are permitted like everybody else to have water but they, because of their reli-gious beliefs, choose not to have it,” says Ko-rzeniewski, “Ultimately it’s their choice. It’s their choice to play football. They are choos-ing to play football, they are choosing to be on the field. They are choosing to work hard enough to be in a position to get onto the field.

From the early hours in the morning they stretch, stunt (all the dangerous tosses and lifts), along with Pazner’s and the rest of the varsity cheer team, can be seen every varsity football game. While Cooper initially joined cheerlead-ing for the scholarship potential, it took him only a short time to grow to love it. Both guys also encourage more male students to join. “If I were to recruit the boys to be cheer-leaders,” Cooper says, “not only would I speak

of the scholarship opportunities, but I would advertise the team building and great times.” Andover alum and former cheerleader Eric Wodowski adds, “The whole experi-ence [cheerleading] was really rewarding. We need to bring all different types of people into everything, and I think it’s really impor-tant to have men do it because it shows that it’s not just a girl’s sport; it’s for everybody.” “Also,” Cooper argues, “what other sport do you play with a dozen beautiful ladies?”

Photo by Andy Gignac

From C1

From page C1

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Pushing

Fall sports teams practice hard in order to compete at a higher level

In the middle of her 200 yard Individual Medley, senior Hanna Belden finishes the 50 breast stroke section. She swam 50 yards of butterfly, backstoke, breast stroke and freestyle for the event. The meet was on Tuesday Sep-tember 22 against Detroit Country Day. Belden placed third out of six swimmers competing - three from each team. This meet left the Swim & Dive team with a 4-0 winning streak in dual meets.

Senior Matt Andonian rushes the football down the field

at the September 11 home game agianst Ferndale. It was

one of Andover’s few runs. The other memorable poses-sion resulted in a touchdown.

The football team practices approximately 16 hours per week including game plans, watching films of their prac-

tices, and weight training/ conditioning.

Sophomore Victoria Violassi listens to head swim coach Dave Zulkiewski dur-ing warm up before the September, 22 meet against Detroit Country Day. A 600 yard swim followed by drill 50s warmed the team up before their races.

With 12 events, one dive and three relays, the team is able to spread out their talents and compete with depth.

Practicing for his next match, sophomore Evan Chen hits the tennis ball over the net to senior Charlie Frank (not pictured). Though he attends International

Academy, he is still able to play sports at Andover.

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Performing a cradle from elevator, the varsity cheer-leaders keep the crowd on their feet during the Friday September 11 football game. Junior Carli Grylack is caught by her two bases, senior Hunter Cooper and ju-nior Tierra Kelly. Her back-spot is senior Kate Merchant. The cheerleaders are also practicing their stunts for the annual Homecoming routine.