N o t g e t t i n g T h e S q u a l l : l i k e a s k i n g S a n t a f o r a p u p p y a n d g e t t i n g c o a l

[ t h e s q u a l l ] Dexter High School2200 N. Parker Road

Dexter, MI 48130

December 18, 2009Volume XV

Issue 3

The state recently announced pro-rated cuts of nearly $300 per student for every district in the state. This is a loss of about $1 million for Dexter in the 2009-2010 school year.

The figures have lead district officials to also estimate the need to cut an additional $3 million dollars from the budget for the 2010-2011 school year.

Superintendent Rob Glass said, despite the difficult finincial times, Dexter won’t see any major cuts this year, though.

“Cutting that much money from our budget in a school year a l r e a d y u n d e r w a y would, in my view, create an irresponsibly d r a s t i c d i s r u p t i o n to the e d u c a t i o n a l process,” Glass said. “Dexter’s sound financial management over the years has allowed us to enjoy a modest fund balance that allows us to weather situations such as this mid-year cut without seriously impacting the educations of our children.

“So, here we are: Good, honest, talented, smart, hardworking people dedicated to a world-class education for Dexter students ... faced with a huge, $3 million nut to crack,” Glass said. “Our backs are against the wall, and we’re all in this situation together, united in our outrage over this situation that has been foisted upon us through no fault of our own.”

Despite the lack of major cuts this year, the Board of Education approved Glass’ recomendation for the budget revision on Nov. 30. This revision involves a reduced general fund budget for most schools, including a reduction of $211,966 for Wylie Elementary School and a reduction of $73,921 for Dexter High School. Other schools with a general fund budget reduction are Cornerstone Elementary School and Mill Creek Middle School.

According to Dexter High School principal Kit Moran, “We can’t run in the red. We can’t raise prices. We can’t borrow money, but what we can do is attract kids.”

According to Moran Dexter isn’t in as bad shape as other schools.

“The good news is that Dexter is in better shape than most,” he said. “We still have enough money to keep our head above water. I predict that more than one school will close their doors this year. It will be interesting to see how each district deals with their financial situation. Some districts will cut; some districts will keep going until they run

out of money; and some will be forced to close their doors.”

D e x t e r High School art teacher A u t u m n C a m p b e l l has already been affected by mid

year budget cuts. According to Campbell, her budget was cut 5 percent last week, which leaves her with $31.53 for the rest of the year to use in her art classes. “I try to order enough (supplies) to last the whole year, but things happen,” Campbell said. Campbell also said she has put her own money into the program every year except one when a student’s parent donated $1,000.

For many teachers, including Campbell, these cuts are going to change how they teach.

“I do not want to suggest for a moment that the cuts I had to recommend for this year will be painless,” Glass said. “However, these cuts are limited in scope to just a few departments and situations where reductions could be made with as little disruption to the educational program as possible.”

And, Glass said, the cuts for next year are going to be greater than the cuts this year.

“Since we didn’t reduce our budget by the entire amount of the huge cuts we took this year, and since we are virtually guaranteed to have a similar or larger cuts for 2010-11, our most optimistic estimates indicate

that we will have to cut $3 million from next year’s budget. That’s a cut of almost 10 percent of our annual budget.”

Because of the cuts next year, according to Campbell, some art classes such as ceramics may not be offered and other classes such as jewelry may be reduced. “Next year we’re really going to have to sit down and really talk,” Campbell said.

Other classes may not be offered to students next year that were this year.

“Realisticly we’re probably going to offer less selection,” Moran said. “We may have to offer courses every other year. Depending on how it works out, kids may have to schedule classes more carefully. It’s realistic to say some programs will be cut.”

The cut in school budget may also lead to loss of jobs next year.

“Instructional salary takes up about 84 percent of the district’s budget,” Moran said. “In reality is someone going to go? Yeah, probably. It’s even more likely that some staff will be shifted around the district. I’m predicting we are going to have less staff in the high school, but I don’t know how many.”

According to Glass in March and June personnel processes such as layoffs or re-assignment will take place according to the teachers’ contract.

“We’re going to have a lot of people feeling it,” Moran said. “Probably every program is going to feel it.”

According to Glass, this is not going to be a short-term issue. “I firmly believe that cuts we are experiencing are going to be our new normal,” he said. “I do not believe that these are idle threats from the state, nor do I believe that the state will pull a rabbit out of a hat. The state is fresh out of rabbits.”

Campbell agrees. “We can’t look back and hold onto that,” she said.

Because of the need to move forward, Dexter may have to reimagine the way it educates students. “One need look no further than the auto and manufacturing industries to see that it is crucial that we adjust before the situation becomes too difficult to remedy,” Glass said. “Timing is everything. Our time is now.”

Ashley BurlesonHealth Editor

“ Timing is everything. Our time is now.”

Rob Glass,Superintendent

Tough TimesState-wide funding cutbacks leave the district with tough choices. While there

won't be any major cuts this year, next year is a different story. Meanwhile, Superintendent Glass asks teachers to reimagine the way education looks.

Funding for sports based on interest, cost

At first glance, it may appear that all Dexter High

School athletes are created equal. However, not every

athlete is offered the same advantages, especially

financially, through school funding.

According to Athletic Director John Robinson, there

are different funding levels for each varsity sport.

“Sports that receive virtually all of their funds from

the school are classified as fully-funded,” Robinson

said. “Every level beneath that is sort of a compromise

between the school and members of those teams as to

how the expenses will be paid.”

The main cause of these discrepancies, according to

Robinson, is the amount of interest and profit each sport

can generate. A sport that fields 200 athletes, freshman

through varsity levels, has a greater chance of receiving

school funds than a sport with only 20 athletes.

There are several sports, such as water polo and field

hockey, that draw all their funding from players’ families

with virtually no funds from the school.

“The only sport that we consider to be a partially-

funded varsity sport is hockey,” Robinson said. “Because

of the tremendous expenses involved in renting ice time,

the school is only able to front certain things for the

hockey team.”

The few services that the school can cover for hockey,

according to Robinson, are referees, a medical trainer

for all games and busses on weeknights. As per board

policy, Dexter school busses are not available for use on

weekend.

So what’s a hockey player to do? According to

Robinson, not much. There are virtually no scholarships

available for hockey players who may not be able to front

the $2400 bill to play. All other varsity sports demand

a pay-to-play fee of $100. Robinson said his hands are

tied.

Alex Everardeditor-in-chief

Want to know everything about the David Schwimmer movie

“Trust” filmed at DHS? Check out our special edition of

The Rostrum

CALL OF DUTY MW2See page 5 for full coverage by Erin McAweeney

See "Hockey" continued on page 2

Illustration by Gabe Altomare

Budget facts•Dexter schools will lose $1 million this school year because of state-wide budget cuts

•The district could lose as much as $3 million ad-ditional next school year, 10 percent of the district’s budget

•The district plans no ma-jor cuts this school year

•A number of teachers will likely face layoff or reassignment next school year

•84 percent of the dis-trict’s budget is employee salaries

•The district and the teachers’ union is cur-rently in contract negotia-tions since the teachers’ contract expires at the end of June

•The high school will proceed with stage two of the International Bacca-laureate program applica-tion at a cost of $9,000

•The high school will pro-ceed next year with a pilot version of the Founda-tion House for 9th grade students

INSIDE:

“There aren’t any funds available for hockey because the school doesn’t charge a pay-to-play fee for each player,” Robinson said.

“We’re able to offer financial aide and cover certain expenses for other varsity sports because they are fully funded. That is, each player is charged a pay-to-play fee.”

These pay-to-play fees help go towards expenses that hockey players and other club athletes are expected to pay themselves. The reasoning behind hockey being the only sport in this unique situation, according to Robinson, is the sport’s high cost.

“Hockey is far and away the most expensive sport offered (at DHS),” Robinson said. “I would say it costs between $15,000 and $18,000 just to rent ice each season.”

As for how much the school helps hockey, Robinson estimates somewhere around one fourth of the overall cost is school-funded.

The lack of school funding for sports like hockey leads club sports, or partially-funded sports, to create their own fundraising opportunities. Among the attempts made by Dexter hockey’s fundraising group include a golf outing during the summer, a bottle drive, program ad sales and recently a holiday f loral sale. Most of these fundraising events are currently underway, however the bottle drive netted $535 for the team. However, these attempts only cover a fraction of the costs for the program’s yearly bill.

Comparatively, Pioneer varsity hockey manages a team at a far lesser amount per player, according to Scott Reinholt, father of Pioneer captain Zach Reinholt. “The total is approximately $800 for the season,” Reinholt said. “That total covers things like ice time, transportation and other team functions.”

The difference in funding may have cultural undertones. Ann Arbor has a well-known hockey base, and has for some time, as PHS varsity hockey has existed since 1962. The high school also hosts USA National Team Development Program players, a

highly competitive team geared towards producing professional players stationed at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube. These players come from all over the nation and live with local families during their season.

These differences aside, the amount of money a team budgets for its season impacts the total cost for each player. For example, Dexter hockey plays in an out-of-town tournament each year, something not funded by the school. Pioneer, on the other hand, stays in town for their tournaments.

“We play a holiday tournament, but it’s hosted at the (Ann Arbor) Ice Cube, so we don’t need to budget for an overnight stay out-of-town,” Reinholt said.

Ultimately, school support depends on several key variables: revenue brought in by the respective sport, the level of interest in the sport from students, and the cumulative cost of the sport. Sports deemed “club” or

“partially funded” either cannot obtain enough interest to become a varsity sport or are not profitable enough for the school to pursue making them fully-funded, according to Robinson.

In Dexter’s case, the interest in the hockey program is present, as the Dexter area fills both a prep and a varsity roster, each team consisting of 15 to 20 players. A Dexter Youth Hockey Club also functions for younger players in the area. However, Robinson cites costs such as ice time as the biggest reason the school cannot fully support hockey.

According to Robinson, hockey will most likely remain partially-funded indefinitely, even as sports like field hockey become fully-funded varsity sports. Robinson said, “With the budget cuts we’re facing and the rising cost of sports in general, I don’t foresee us having the budget to make hockey fully-funded.”

News 2Friday, December 18, 2009

Pacemaker awarded to The Squall

The Squall was awarded the Pacemaker by the National Scholastic Press Association on Nov. 14.

Three hundred sixty-six high school newspapers in the country entered this contest. Out of those, 54 were named Pacemaker finalists, and of those, only 28 won this presti-gious award, judged by professional journalists.

The Squall has won two previous Pacemakers, one in 2005-2006 and one in 2007-2008. Along with The Squall, two other high school publications in Michigan were also awarded the Pace Maker: Grosse Pointe North’s “The North Pointe” and Ann Arbor’s Community High’s The Communi-cator”.

“We have an administration that respects students and their rights,” Squall adviser Rod Satterthwaite said. “This allows students to tackle real, in-depth, controversial stories to report on, which makes our publication stand out from others. Student editors take pride in the newspaper and set goals to be better than the previous year.”

NHS Blood Drive gathers more than 60 pints

On Dec. 1, students gave blood during the school day in the band and orchestra rooms. The blood was donated to The American Red Cross.

There were 25 students from NHS who volunteered to help run the drive, and 74 students signed up to donate blood. There were, however, some requirements for those who did sign up to give blood.

Donors had to be 17 and meet the weight requirement for their height, as well as have at least a 12.5 iron count.

Senior and chairman for the blood drive, Margaux Em-pey, signed up to give blood but was unable to because she didn’t meet the weight requirement for her height.

However, senior Emma Monaghan was able to donate blood.

“I would definitely give blood again if I get the oppor-tunity,” Monaghan said. “It made me feel good that I saved three lives.”

Coat drive delivers for the less-fortunate

A local community service group known as Faith in Ac-tion has been working hand-in-hand with NHS students to donate coats to the less fortunate.

The donated coats are sent to Faith in Action in Chelsea where they are distributed to those in need of them.

Senior chairman Emily VanDusen has already made one delivery to Faith in Action on Dec. 4 and is planning to make some more deliveries within the next couple weeks.

There are around 80 coats donated each year to the coat drive.

Van Dusen said, “A few days after I put up posters, the box was full and more are still coming. I hope it continues on in this pattern.”

Koenig wins teacher Chili Cook Off

The seventh annual staff Chili Cook Off took place on Nov. 25. Defending champion and teacher consultant Laura Schultz battled it out with Dean of Students Ken Koenig, but in the end it was Koenig who walked away with the title.

Graphics teacher Dennis Stockwell, who ran the Chili Cook Off thought the outcome would be different however.

“(Math teacher Jason) Miller consistently scores in the top three each year,” Stockwell said, “so my money was on him.”

Koenig, on the other hand, said he wasn’t at all surprised he won. So what was the secret to his success you may wonder?

According to Koening, black strip steak cooked for a long time, and let to stand overnight is the secret. As for Koenig’s competition he said, “It was pretty open. Schultz and Miller were definitely tough to beat, but it was only friendly competition, no rivals.”

Key Clulb helps with holiday luminaries

Every year, as the holiday season rolls around, students from the Key Club come together at Colorbok Warehouse on Baker Road to make luminaries, which they put up all around the town of Dexter.

The luminaries are set up around town by members of Key Club, NHS and residents of Dexter on Christmas Eve.

There will be around 12,000 lighted bags surrounding Dexter this year.

Approximately 60 students will volunteer to help in all. In addition, it will take 477 volunteers to go around town and light the bags.

NewsBriefs

Precision Haircuts • Perms • Styles • Formal/Prom Up-Dos

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Superintendent Rob Glass first discovered Yong Zhao as a speaker when Glass was Executive Director of Instruction at Birmingham City Schools, where he used Zhao to emphasize some of the same educational ambitions he brings to Dexter.

“His presentations focus on the implications of globalization for education and effectively integrating technology into our schools,” Glass said. “His message hits on exactly the direction we’re trying to go”.

Zhao is one of a series of speakers Glass has brought and plans to bring to speak to the community

to introduce multiple perspectives to help students succeed in an increasingly global society.

Speakers such as Dr. Liz Kolb and Dr. Punya Mishra have already spoken to parents, faculty and students. And future speakers include faculty from the University

of Michigan Department of Science and Engineering.

Currently Zhao is a professor at the College of Education at

Michigan State University and has been since 1996, where

he also serves as the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Technology, executive director of the Confucius Institute, as well

as the US-China Center for Research on Educational

Excellence. “I agreed with what he was

saying,” said Physics and Chemistry teacher David Callaghan, who attended Zhao’s presentation. “It gave a new way of looking at education and at

how we are preparing students here in the U.S. Zhao spoke about how the U.S. traditionally turns out the more innovative thinkers. While foreign countries have higher standardized test scores, they sometimes lack the innovative thinking you see here.”

Zhao’s research interests include computer gaming and education, diffusion of innovations, teacher adoption of technology, computer-assisted language learning, and globalization in education.

He was born in China’s Sichuan Province and received his B.A. in English Language Education from Sichuan Institute of Foreign Languages in Chongqing, China in 1986.

After teaching English in China for six years, he came to Linfield College as a visiting scholar in 1992.

He then began his graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1993. He received his M.A. in Education in 1994 and Ph.D. in 1996.

Before joining the MSU faculty he worked as the Language Center Coordinator at Willamette University and a language specialist at Hamilton College.

Zhao has extensive international experiences. He has consulted with government and educational agencies and spoken on educational issues in many countries on six continents.

Zhao disagrees with what he calls the typical western educational system mind set, which essentially says the US must prepare student to compete with a global competitiveness attitude. “This message stirs up unnecessary negative emotions toward children in other countries by projecting them as job robbers,” he said.

This mindset is inccorect he said, because people in developing nations have the right to desire better.

In addtion, Zhao said outsourcing is a natural process of economic development. “Human history clearly shows that every society goes through different stages,” he said, “when certain industries disappear and new ones emerge. As a result, certain jobs cease to exist and new ones are created.”

Furthermore, Zhao said, “The message sends education down the wrong path. The underlying competitive and us-versus-them mentality turns education into a business that trains economic beings, providing only the skills deemed useful to out-compete others so as to hold on to existing jobs, as if we are training a national army of soldiers to defend the national economy.”

Speaker series emphasizes global education

Alex Everardeditor-in-chief

Nic MillerNews Editor

Photo and photo illustration by Lauren Daugherty

Partially a sport?: Hockey is the only sport considered partially-funded. According to Athletic Director John robinson this is because of the expenses hockey incurs that other sports don’t including ice time.

Photo by Ross Chamberlin

Hockey is a sole sport deemed partially-funded

(Continued from page 1)

•Dr. Yong Zhao

Feature3Friday, December 18, 2009

Health care concerns bring added stressAs Michigan’s economy worsens and the

unemployment rate rises, many parents struggle to obtain and maintain jobs. In turn, their families are forced to undergo changes as a means to survive. Unfortunately, for junior Peter Matthews*, stories such as these have become a reality.

At the age of 14, Matthews was diagnosed with depression. Although medical assistance was once easily received, it is now a constant struggle for both him and his mother who also suffers from the disease.

Matthews is one of the students who are looking forward to the possibilities of a universal healthcare system. He said, “We used to have insurance a long time ago, but my dad’s job changed and his new job didn’t pay for his insurance.”

Sophomore Allison Gayle* has also been worried concerning changes in her insurance. She said, “I’ve had a medical illness for the past couple of years that requires me to see doctors pretty frequently. I like my doctors and I think I get great treatment. I’m afraid that if the whole

country goes with a new kind of healthcare, it will mean that I can’t go to my favorite doctors anymore.”

Although Gayle’s financial position is currently more stable, worries are still prevelant. She said, “My mom and dad both work and haven’t been laid off or anything, so we still have good insurance, but they’re worried that something may still happen down the road.”

One of Counselor Geraldine Holmes main concerns is the financial impact on future generations.

She said, “On one hand, I’m concerned about our collective ability to pay for universal healthcare. On the other hand, I am a person who enjoys good healthcare, and I’m worried about the diminishing effects that might result from a universal healthcare plan.”

Holmes also expects a potential emotional strain due to the proposal. She said, “(Students) are going to be stressed and worried about it. Also, students needing outside counseling or medical attention for depression and other mental health issues may not have access to their current level of service.”

Matthews sees this situation differently. He said, “I used to get therapy for my depression, but

we can’t afford for me to go anymore. It’s really hard and causes a lot of stress in our house.”

The cost of the medication for both Matthews and his mother is a constant financial strain on the family.

Matthews has made several changes due to his lack of insurance. He said, “I haven’t been to the doctor or the dentist for two years. My mom and dad probably won’t take my sister and I to the doctor unless they think we’re extremely ill because they don’t have the money to pay the doctor.”

Although he sees the necessity in his father finding a new job, Matthews also believes that government-provided health insurance would be helpful for both him and his mother to continue treatment.

Holmes can see many changes not only nationally, but locally, if the proposal is passed. She said, “The myth is that most people in Dexter are aff luent and won’t be affected as much by loss of jobs and company-paid insurance, but the reality is that they are being impacted just as much as the folks in neighboring communities.”

*Name changed at the request of the interviewee

Megan PodschlneStaff Writer

Health care in a box

• According to the U.S. Census, there were approximately 46.3 million unin-sured citizens living in the United States in 2008, roughly 15 percent of the popu-lation.

• The Census also indicated that 58.5 percent of adults received employment-based health insurance in 2008.

• According to Michigan’s Department of Community Health, Michigan has the 14th lowest rate of uninsured individuals of all ages in 2006-2008. Approximately 11.3 percent of the population is unin-sured.

• Michigan has the second lowest num-ber of uninsured children in 2006-2008, according to Michigan’s Department of Community Health.

3national figures to know in the health care debateWho they are and why to pay attention to them

With a new Washtenaw Alcohol Reduction Project (WARP) grant, “Project Success” has come to Dexter High School. Project Success is a substance abuse and self-education program for students, parents and DHS staff. “It’s a way for students who have issues with alcohol or other drugs to improve themselves and get help,”

Shirley Bitters, health and wellness teacher said. Allison Murphy, the new Project Success Youth Coordinator, has been working with Bitters who has always been involved with projects similar to Project Success while teaching, and is currently the adviser for Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

Students in SADD have been helping with the awareness campaign aspect of Project Success, which according to Murphy is one of the goals for Project Success. “The goal and hope is that creating awareness will reduce the number of students abusing alcohol and drugs,” she said.

For the holiday season SADD members have created an informational sticker about the consequences of supplying alcohol to minors. The stickers will be put on alcohol products at various stores that sell alcohol in the Dexter area.

According to Murphy, her main responsibility is talking with students. “If the counselors don’t have time (students or parents) can come and talk to me about the concerns they have about substance abuse,” Murphy said. “I am here as a resource.”

Murphy also works with staff to create support groups for students. According to Murphy, working with students on a one-on-one level or at a group level is an effective way to encourage students to make healthy choices.

“The goal is to address underage drinking by working with students,” she said. The support groups are set to start in January, and Murphy said topics of the groups will surround substance abuse; however, they are flexible and, depending on the students involved, may change.

“Hopefully we address the whole process of the addiction cycle so that the participants

in the groups can be helped and so they understand the progression of addiction and how they are affected,” Murphy said. “We also help (participants) come up with different ways to set goals for themselves.”

For Murphy helping students with substance abuse or addiction issues is something that she has always had a interest in. She graduated from Central Michigan University with a major in public health and a minor in substance abuse.

“I get a lot of gratification from it,” she said. “I grew up in a family with a lot of substance abuse, so I like helping students with problems similar to what I grew up seeing.”

The grant from WARP is also being used to start programs at Chelsea and Manchester High schools as well.

According to Murphy this is because western Washtenaw County has shown an increase in alcohol-related car crashes among minors since 2007.

“Every community has it’s own issues with substance abuse,” she said. “Hopefully Project Success will reduce substance use among minors in Dexter and will encourage students to make healthy choices.”

Rachel Butlerstaff writer

New Project Success Coordinator Allison MurphyPhoto by Luke Hattie

Nancy-Ann DeParle: The Director of the White House Office of Health Reform and, according to “The New York Times”, she has a significant influence with the current health policy.

Barack Obama: Brought the health care crisis into the open and began the plan to create a universal health-care program.

Max Baucus: Senator from Montana and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He released a health care proposal and continues to be a strong voice in the health care debate.

Photos from poland.usembassy.gov

Murphy works to help students with drug issuesNew Project Success coordinator encourages students to make healthy choices

Feature 4Friday, December 18, 2009

TIPS Offered for College rec letters

Senior Whitney Otto said she enjoys hunting wild game.

Females take to field for deer hunt

People may consider hunting primarily a male pastime, but not senior Megan Schlanderer. In fact, in the fall of 2006 Schlanderer was hunting with her father during Youth Hunt Weekend on a family friends’ farm when she shot an 11-point buck.

“We were at a corner of a cornfield, and a herd of deer with fawns, does, little bucks and big bucks came running through,” she said. “I basically had my pick.”

Schlanderer also said at one point she was five feet away from a small group of does and fawns, but she didn’t take shots at them.

“I felt really proud,” Schlanderer said of her buck. “It was something I knew I had worked for and practiced for. My dad was really happy too. I think he yelled, ‘Yeah!’”

Schlanderer said her grandpa and father are the ones who got her involved in hunting,

suggesting at a young age they all go out to look for deer.

“A lot of times I would say no when they asked me to go shooting,” Schlanderer said. “But then I would give in and just go.” So Schlanderer said she and her father and grandfather would all go out at dusk with

binoculars in tow and drive down back roads to look for groups of deer.

And besides snagging an impressive deer, Schlanderer hesitated to admit she was also happy that she would be able to go back to school the next Monday and brag to the boys about her catch.

Ray Kroske, a Mill Creek Sporting Goods

employee, said he sees competitiveness like this between male and female hunters because both are equally proud of their harvest.

“Boys think we can’t hunt, or that we can’t get big deer,” Schlanderer said. “They think, ‘Little Megan can’t hunt!’”

Senior Heather Trinkle said she too enjoys hunting and the lifestyle around it, but like Schlanderer doesn’t appreciate the

stereotype of women hunters. “Guys think hunting is their thing,”

Trinkle, who just got her hunting license this year, said. “Like it’s their territory only.”

Kroske said about 10-15 percent of customers at Mill Creek are women.

“Women are more accurate in the shooting range,” he said. “Women tend to listen to instruction better and apply it, rather than men, who mostly resist suggestion and think they know best. Female success rate (in harvest) may be higher than men.”

Although Trinkle hasn’t been successful yet, she said she will continue to hunt.

“I haven’t gotten anything yet, but I like being outside, and with my family,” she said. “If girls want to hunt, they should do their thing.”

According to Kroske, although most people are introduced to hunting at a young age, it’s not difficult to get started later in life. He suggests if a girl, or boy, wanted to begin hunting, that he or she join a fish/hunt club, to gain knowledge and advice from other members of the club.

Schlanderer said if she enjoys hunting, other girls will too. “I have fun practicing and working hard, so (the result) makes me feel proud,” she said. “More girls should go out there and give hunting a try. ”

“ If girls want to hunt, they should do their

thing.”

Heather Trinkle, senior

Morgan QuistStaff Writer

Different weapons of hunting

• Rifle: an accurate firearm either semi-automatic, lever action, bolt action. Can only used during firearm season.

• Bow and Arrow: can be used during bow season and firearm season.

• Shotgun: a smooth bore gun. Can only be used dur-ing firearm season.

So far, English teacher Jo Muszkiewicz has written 55 letters of recommendation this year. But at the beginning of the year, Muszkiewicz shared a new policy with her students. “If I catch a student with their cell phone, I will not write a letter of recommendation letter for them, nor will the rest of the English department,” she said.

Muszkiewicz said this has been a very effective new policy. “I don’t think I’ve seen a phone yet.” The policy is especially effective considering for some schools like the University of Michigan, letters from teachers are a requirement.

The University of Michigan’s Office of Admission’s Secretary, Dajai Livingston said, “We have students send in two letters, one from a teacher and the other from the school counselor.”

She said that the letters should be information the regular application can’t include about the student. “Personality, work ethic and information that really

describes the student,” Livingston said. “Recommendation letters are really a source we use that includes things about the student from another perspective.”

In terms of asking a teacher to write a letter for you, Muszkiewicz has some advice “It is really helpful if the students are organized, and they give me everything I need right away,” she said. “It makes it easy for the teacher when we don’t have to track anyone down to get them to sign something or bring in more forms. Ask early, and it’s also helpful to have a little resume with maybe some community service”

Muszkiewicz said next year she would not write as many letters though, and she would be more selective who she writes the letters for. “I had a parent call and complain to (Principal Kit) Moran that I didn’t have a letter done,” Muszkiewicz said. “Coincidentally I sent it in that day.”

For Muszkiewicz politeness and gratitude can go a long way toward a good letter. “It is very important to say, ‘Thank you.’ A short note or a short visit to express gratitude for a letter of recommendation makes it worth the teacher’s effort; appreciation is the only recompense necessary.”

Kristi HughesOpinion editor

Illustration by Candice Wiesner

Senior Megan Schlanderer shot an 11-point buck in 2006.

\Senior Heather Trinkle got her hunting license this year.

Start early, prepare a resume and offer thanks, teacher and college official say

Get to know your DHS female hunter

Feature5Friday, Decmber 18, 2009

Burgessexperiencessnowboardingsuccess

Alexander Dobbsget involved editor

Erin Mcaweeneystaff writer

Junior Matt

Muchmore was hooked the moment his

brother brought the game home from college this year. It was the first time he had played

Call of Duty and little did he know that he would be dedicating days and missing school

to play the game. Muchmore is among the many that have given into Modern Warfare 2.

On Nov. 10 the sixth installment of the historically-acclaimed Call of Duty hit the shelves.

New guns, complex maps and an intriguing story had video gamers fighting to get their hands on one of the

first copies of the game.Muchmore had been waiting months for the game to

go on sale and had pre-ordered it weeks earlier. Once the debut of the game finally came, Muchmore

missed a day of school to fully enjoy his new purchase. “I probably played 14 hours the first day I got the game,” he said.

Fellow gamer and senior Tony Ceccolini had an easier time getting ahold of the scarce game. “I just went to Meijer after school. There wasn’t a line or anything,” he said.

Both of the very experienced gamers looked forward to their first play of the game,

“Reviews for the game were great, and I was really excited to play,” Ceccolini said.

The anticipation of the release and outstanding first-day sales owes itself to the success of the first “Call of Duty” game, Muchmore said. “Call of Duty one was the

best shooter game I’ve played,” he said. Before Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty was Muchmore’s game of

choice, as well as Ceccolini’s. But what turned this game from a sequel to a

world-wide phenomenon? Both Muchmore and Ceccolini agree that

the one-of-a-kind story line and unparalled graphics make it incomparable to any

other game. “The story line is well put together, and the graphics are

the best I have ever played,” Muchmore said.

After an extensive amount of

g a m e p l a y , though, Muchmore decided that he still stays a true fan to the original Call of Duty. “It’s just more simple. It makes playing more fun,” he said.

“They just really overdid it. I don’t like the new kill streaks in the game, they promote camping (waiting for enemies to appear or to come to the player rather than actively seeking them out.)”

Ceccolini disagrees and said “Modern Warfare 2 is the best game he’s ever played. “It’s more fun,” Ceccolini said.“The game play is great, and I like the new guns.”

Another perk enjoyed by both gamers is the mass number of fellow “Modern Warfare” players. With Xbox live, players are able to play while interacting with other players and friends at the same time. “It’s being social while being anti-social,” Muchmore said.

A feature like this is important for players such as Ceccolini, who has noticed a decline in aspects such as social life and school work as “Modern Warfare” slowly takes over his life.

For the first week he had the game Ceccolini estimates he had an average of eight hours of gameplay per day.

Sleeping, schoolwork and friends have all been affected by his avid playing. “It does help me procrastinate on homework,” Ceccolini said, “It’s very easy to lose track of time when playing. “I’ve definitely made more friends from playing (Xbox) live.”

Muchmore and Ceccolini have differing views on “Modern Warfare 2”, but both have one major opinion in common.

They agree that after missing days of school, dedicating hours in front of the TV and watching their social life and school work suffer, it is all worth it.

“I don’t want people thinking I’m a big nerd,” Muchmore said.

And Ceccolini agrees. He said, “It’s all about balancing life and gaming. Some of us are still just trying to figure that out.”

It all started when he was 7. The career, the dedica-tion and the lifestyle all stemmed from a childhood ex-perience.

“I was 7, and I was at Ypsi High,” senior Cole Burgess said. “Ypsi has this hill, and my brother brought this lit-tle plastic, molded board with no bindings out there. It was the kind where you just slide your feet in and go. I went down and accidentally hit this jump that these kids had made and did a half back flip. I landed on my neck and haven’t stopped since.”

And so it began. The event sparked an intense inter-est in snowboarding that spawned an unparalleled work ethic within Burgess. He has not stopped since his first snowboarding experience, the dedication to the sport leading him to concentrate only on snowboarding.

“I dropped everything else and put all my energy into it,” he said. “I’m always at Mt. Brighton or on the street, doing handrails, tricks or filming.”

The dedication, time spent on the mountain, and previous athleticism created a skill set that made Bur-gess a unique talent. His skills did not go unnoticed for long as Burgess went from messing around on the

mountain with friends to entering and participating in competitions across the state of Michigan.

“I went to the thing called TestFest at Boyne and a representative from this company called Forum talked to me for a little bit,” he said. “It turned out to be the best weekend of my life and they ended up offering me a sponsorship.”

His sponsorship from Forum led to Burgess being noticed by other major groups. After watching him in action companies such as Special Blend, Four Square, Von Zipper, Nixon and Element followed with sponsor-ship offers of their own.

Burgess continues to compete in tournaments around the state of Michigan while now also entering contests across the nation.

“I go to Nationals every year down at Copper Moun-tain in Colorado,” he said. “And there’s this Revolution Tour that’s a nationwide circuit and is a lead in to the X Games.”

At competitions Burgess specializes in events known as Slope-style and Rail Jams.

“Slope-style is a set of two or three runs and they take your best or best two runs for placement he said, “and rail games are just someone saying, ‘Go’ and you get-ting as many hits as you can. There are pretty much no

rules and you have a set amount of features to do your run on.”

Rail jams are Burgess’ favorite considering the free-dom that they allow, permitting him to perform a wide variety of tricks and to create different runs. And Bur-gess does not only participate in rail jams at competi-tions, saying that rail jams can occur at any time, any-where, and only a little bit of snow is required for them to be competitive and successful.

“I have been to rail jams at Mount Brighton, in the streets and even in downtown Detroit with 1,500 people watching me,” he said. “A news camera came and my runs ended up being broadcasted on television. It was crazy.”

The success Burgess has experienced in his snow-boarding career while thrilling, has also been bitter-sweet. The sponsorships, the competitions, the video and the money has introduced new stress into Burgess’ career that was never there before. This newfound stress often takes the love and the lifestyle out of it and Burgess snowboards for the love of the sport.

“For the future I want to quit competing and be in videos so much less,” he said. “I mean those things are decent, but I want less stress and so much more lifestyle. I do it for the love, not the money and the fame.”

Illustration by Gabe Altomare

Photos by Lisa Burgess

Above: Cole Burgess practices tricks at Mt. Brighton to prepare for an event.

Top: During one his competitions, Burgess flies through the air while sponsors watch him in action.

'CallofDuty2'createsvideogameaddiction

Afteranearlychildhoodexperience,seniorColeBurgessfellinlovewithsnowboarding.Hisdedicationandpracticeleadtocorporatesponsorshipsandapositivelookintothefuture.

Health 6Friday, December 18, 2009

Seasonal depression can be treated

Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as winter depression, affects as many as half a million people in the United States. Symptoms of winter depression 0r SAD include difficulty waking up in the morning, craving of carbohydrates which leads to weight gain, anxiety, irritability and avoidance of social situations.

There is a range of severity to this disorder, according to social worker Nancy Miller.

This disorder commonly starts in adults and is caused by the reduced light brought on by winter. The commonly accepted theory is that the lack of sunlight in winter leads to reduced production of serotonin, a chemical in that has a soothing and calming effect in the body.

According to Miller, most students who have SAD are reluctant to admit it because they aren’t aware of the disorder. “Most students don’t

know what is happening,” she said. “So in many cases students don’t seek help or get treatment.”

Since this disorder is most commonly seen in early adulthood it is important that high schools take initiative and discuss this with their students.

Counselor Kristy Doyle said schools should have seminars with speakers to discuss depression and what should be done if students are depressed.

“It is very important to go see a specialist if you or someone you know is suffering from SAD,” Doyle said. “With the proper treatment and counseling, Seasonal Affective Disorder can be much less severe and more manageable.”

However SAD is not the only seasonal disorder; there is also RSAD or Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder. RSAD occurs in the summer, and symptoms include trouble sleeping and weight loss. The symptoms are almost the opposite of SAD.

If a student suspects that he/she has SAD they should talk to their pediatrition or doctor according to Doyle.

And she said there are ways to cope with SAD. The first and foremost thing a student should do is get therapy. Doyle suggests going to your counselor and telling them what you have been feeling.

Another fairly common treatment for this disorder is light therapy.

Since SAD is triggered by a change in climate and light, light therapy is another treatment for SAD. Light treatment allows patients to take in an excess amount of light by installing light panels in their home or by wearing a visor that gives off light. This type of therapy is designed to trick the patients mind, into thinking that it is sunny, instead of dark and gloomy.

No matter which course of treatment people choose, Doyle said help is readlily available. She said, “It’s not really hard to treat.”

Factbox

• PeoplewithSADnor-mallyhaveatleastoneotherrelativewhohasamentalillnessofsometype.

• SADiscommonlyfoundinadults.

• SADsymptomsinclude:difficultywakingupinthemorning,cravingcarbohydrates,weightgain,anxiety,irritability,andsocialwithdrawl.

• Whilehospitalizationandelectroconvulsivetherapyhavebeenused,“lighttherapy”isoftenthefirstplacepeopleturn.

• CounselorKristyDoyleurgesstudentswhomaythinktheyaresufferingfromSADtogethelpimmediately.“It’snothardtotreat,”shesaid.

Source:http://www.blisstree.com/articles/six-quick-facts-about-seasonal-affective-disorder-sad-234/

Steve Millerstaff writer

PhotoIlliustrationbyJoJoParin

•Chicken soup helps during a cold. Forgenerationsparentshavebeengivingtheirchildrensouptomakethemfeelbetter.Eatingsoupcanspeedupthemovementofmucusthroughthenose,helpingrelieveconges-tion.Soupalsolimitsthetimevirusesareincontactwiththeliningthenose.

•Gargling salt water will temporarily relieve a sore throat. Garglingsaltwaterisprobablythelastthinganyonewantstodo,ever,butithelps.

•Drink lots of fluids. Keep-ingthebodyhydratedduringacoldisimpor-tant.Fluidscanhelploosencongestioninyoursystem.Thebestfluidstodrinkarewater,juice,lemonwaterandbroth.Duringacoldsomeoftheworstthingstodrinkarecoffeeandcaffeinateddrinks.

•Rest during your cold. Restingwillallowthevi-rusrunitscoursequicklyandallowyoutogetbet-termorequickly.

Facts•Drinking milk during a cold develops more mucus in your system. Thefactis,milkisdigestedlikeanyotherprotein.

•“Feed a cold and starve a fever.” Toovercomeanillness,peopleneedtoeat.Eatingwellwillsup-porttheimmunesystemandhelptheillnessendsooner,includingafever.

•Being in cold weather means you will catch a cold. Theweatherdoesn’taffectwhetheryouwillgetacoldor

not.Sometimesitismorelikelyforpeopletogetcoldsduringcoldermonthsbecausemostpeoplespendtheirtimeinsideduringthosemonths.Virusescanbepassedalongmoreeasily.

•Eat when you don’t have an appetite. Thisisnotagoodidea.Don’tforceyourselfintoeatingmorethanyourbodywants.Tryeatinglighterfoodsinsteadsuchasfruit,vegetablesandsoups.

Myths

Colleen Hillstaff writer

Truth and myths about the cold and flu

Throughout life we have heard what is good for us during a cold. Now it's time to find out whether those assumptions are true.

Sources: www.commoncold.org, psychcentral.com, cold.emedtv.com.IllustrationbyGabeAltomare

Community7Friday, December 18, 2009

Local businesses thrive during winter season

For Christine O’Haver the holidays are the best time of year. “I love seeing all the people and all the fun. The store is full and it’s a lot of fun.” O’Haver works at Christine’s, a local business looking to hand out some holiday joy.

O’Haver was the original owner of Christine’s until the business was handed down to her daughter-in-law. “I’ve been here 20 years, and I have loved every minute of it,” she said.

“Think Dexter First is a marketing group of people that promote the shop local movement,” Mary Pierce, the founder and director of Think Dexter First said. “Our mission is to educate as many people within our community the importance of buying in Dexter. We want everyone to ask themselves before they leave Dexter, to make a purchase. Can I buy this locally? If they can, we ask they do so.”

Those purchases during the holidays make Dexter busy place to be. “Summer is a good time for business, but by far the busiest time of year is the holidays,” O’Haver said. “It’s busier and there are more people.”

The recession has had an effect on all businesses around the country, and Christine’s is no exception. “Business is better since the bridge was fixed,” O’Haver said. “We’re doing OK, but we’ve been affected just like everyone else. There are more people because of the downtown theater, and dinner visitors make more traffic

downtown. It’s important to them, and it’s important to us that they care.

It’s important to the community as well. “When purchases are made locally, it keeps our business community strong,” Pierce said. “Businesses pay property taxes, employ locals and give back to the community. If we lose a business in Dexter, it hurts everyone. Tax dollars benefit the Dexter Community School system. Employing locals keeps our community employed and businesses support the community through events and sponsorships. Think Dexter First offers local businesses means to advertise for free and we assist them with marketing plans,” Pierce said.

O’Haver said Christine’s would like to market towards younger audiences. They make a good percentage of their sales to high school kids. “About 15 percent, but more kids around the holidays,” O’Haver said. “More for kids who buy gifts for their friends. We give lots of special treatment, special gift wrapping, free bags, and we always give free advice.”

That special care has a big affect on the community. “The impact is huge,” Pierce said. “For every dollar spent in a local business, 65 percent is retained within the community. When people shop at big box chains, only 35 percent comes back to the community.”

For Pierce Dexter is a great place to be during the holidays. She said, “Dexter during the holidays is like a Norman Rockwell painting. With the Christmas lights, Santa at the gazebo, and the annual tree lighting service. People from far admire Dexter’s hometown feel.”Photo by Austin Sullivan

Key Club helps when holidays come There are dozens of clubs to

choose from at Dexter High School for students of varying interests. One of the many among these is the Dexter Key Club, which draws in students interested in community service and helping others.

There are annually about 15-20 freshmen who sign up, and more upperclassmen join yearly.

According to Key Club adviser Amy Rausa these students are a “motivated group whose main incentive is to help others.”

Some of the organizations Key Club helps annually around the holidays are the Salvation Army and Optimist shopping.

“During Christmas we take whatever projects are available, though we tend to keep a pretty sound structure,” Key Club President Thomas Monson said. “We’ve done bell ringing the last few years with the Salvation Army and Optimist shopping, which is where we take an underprivileged child shopping

with a short list of things they want for Christmas. The idea is to give someone a Christmas that they may not necessarily be able to have otherwise.”

The club also helps to set up luminaries in downtown Dexter in preparation for the holiday to help light up the town. At the meetings there are sign up sheets for each event, and everyone in the club participates in at least one.

“On average, we usually participate in about 20-25 projects a year, based on availability,” Monson said. “We do our best to take on every project that we possibly can, and sometimes it may be more or less. But the holidays are definitely a more active if not the most active time of year, since so many organizations do so much around this time to help others. We take on the most we can and go from there.”

According to treasurer Alex Thompson, “Our mentality is that we want to make donating and helping others more a lifestyle and less of an afterthought.”

Kevin Skiverstaff writer

Aaron Gilmanstaff writer

Few people have to s tare death square in the face whi le ra is ing three teenage boys, but Jul ie Koch, mother of three Dexter High Schoolers - -Kyle , Nathon and Keeoni--does this every day.

Koch has ovarian cancer , the f i f th most common cancer for women which causes more deaths than any other reproduct ive cancer .

She has a tumor wrapped around her intest ines and is unable to eat . She is fed with l iquids through an I .V. and wi l l not l ive i f she doesn’ t have surgery to improve her current heal th status .

There ’s only one problem: her insurance doesn’ t cover the operat ion.

“I just fee l bad. There ’s nothing I can do, and my mom is helpless unt i l the surgery,” Keeoni said.

She and her family ’s last resort was to gather up as much money as she and her family could and travel to Mexico for cheaper surgery. So on Friday, Nov. 20, there was a fundrais ing spaghett i d inner at the Knights of Columbus on Dexter-Chelsea Road.

The mood at the dinner was posi t ive; her three

sons and their f r iends bussed tables , socia l ized with part ic ipants and smiled the ent ire t ime. The spaghett i was donated by var ious famil ies as was the salad, rol ls , desserts and drinks.

The Koch’s a lso received help from extended family , l ike cousin Monica, owner of Monica ’s Salon. This local business supported the fundraiser and was a big help according to Keeoni , the youngest of the three.

“Many of our cousins work there . They ’re one of the reasons word spread about the benef i t d inner ,” Keeoni said.

Many local famil ies at tended this benef i t d inner . The Knights of Columbus provided drinks and a locat ion to host the event .

I f one missed the dinner , there ’s s t i l l a chance to help raise money.

A few donat ion jars have been placed throughout Dexter with a picture of the family and an explanat ion of the family ’s s i tuat ion is . These jars are located at p laces l ike the Mobi l and Monica ’s Salon.

The more help the family receives , the higher the chance of Jul ie Koch staying a l ive is , according to Keeoni .

“Thank you for the food donat ions and the money donat ions,” he said. “This means a lot to our family . I t means saving our mom.”

Benefit dinner held for Koch family Alex McMurray

staff writer

Photo courtesy of Monica's Salon

Kyle, Nathon and Keeoni Koch visit their mom, Julie, in the hospital. Julie has ovarian cancer, and local organiza-tions are helping to raise money to send her to Mexico for surgery. Donation jars are placed at various busi-nesses throughout Dexter for thos who wish to contribute.

Captain: Matt StirlingCo-captains: John Brosch and Jake GillisCoach: Gary HowellLast year’s record: 7-16-2Goals for season- Their goal is to win the SEC. “We are returning five of six defenseman and both goalies so we should be pretty good in our own zone,” Howell said.

Sports 8Friday, December 18, 2009

After eight years of coaching Dexter JV football, math teacher Brian Baird is stepping down.

Similarly, Dean of Students Ken Koenig is ending his tenure as varsity defensive coordinator af ter his ninth season. Both Baird and Koenig cite philosophical dif ferences with the program.

Baird came to the conclusion that he would not return af ter he said he considered all the circumstances and what he felt would be best.

“Coach Barberi deserves to have a staf f who fully supports his v ision, and it came down to a dif ference in philosophy,” Baird said. “I would hope that if I were in a similar situation, my staf f would be totally behind me, and if not, I would expect them to do what I did. That’s how teams work.”

Koenig said he resigned for the same basic reasons as Baird, citing dif ferences in philosophy and v iewpoint as his main reason.

“I essentially echo Baird and his comments on the situation,” Koenig said. “It was an issue of contrasting v isions.”

According to head football coach Tom Barberi, Baird’s resignation can be traced to the dif ference in the ways JV and varsity function and run practices.

“The dif ference in philosophy is the way things are done on the JV and varsity levels,” Barberi said.

And replacing each coach can be a positive experience, according to Barberi.

“I have a staf f of about 15 coaches,” Barberi said. “Every year two to four of them leave for various reasons, so this is an opportunity to start fresh. It ’s all about the kids, and this exposes them to dif ferent types of coaching and dif ferent ways to learn.”

Neither party cites any hard feelings, as both the

resigning coaches and Barberi said they accept the situation for what it is. “I have no issues with Coach Baird or Coach Koenig,” Barberi said.

However, Baird’s passion to coach has not come to an end. “I’m currently searching locally for another place to coach,” Baird said. “I haven’t settled on any where yet, but it ’s stil l in the early stages.”

He is even optimistic about coaching again at Dexter. “Perhaps somewhere down the road an opportunity will open (at DHS), and if that’s the case, I’d love to coach here again.”

Either way, Baird’s departure from the sidelines will not result in his departure from the classroom, even if he is hired to coach elsewhere. “I won’t be leaving the classroom to coach somewhere else,” Baird said. “If I do f ind a job at another school, it will be local enough so that I could continue teaching here.”

Koenig, however, is not looking to pursue any other coaching opportunities. “I’m taking a year or so of f,” Koenig said. “If other things come up in a few years, I will consider them. But as of now I’m not going to coach next year.”

And the decision to resign was not an easy choice for either Baird or Koenig. “I love the kids. They are what I truly care about,” Baird said.

As for Koenig, cheering for his son during his freshman year next fall from the stands and not the sidelines may be a tough pill to swallow. “It was easily the hardest decision I’ve made in all my years as a coach,” Koenig said. “But I will do everything possible to support the program as a parent next year.”

The decision to step down was not an easy one, and Koenig says the gratitude of coaching will be noticeably missing next fall. “I love to coach. I love the game of football,” he said. “There’s no doubt I’ l l miss it.”

Two football coaches resign citing philosophical differences

Winter sports get started with high expectations

HOCKEY

WRESTLING

SWIM & DIVE

Captains: Caitlyn Rize and Kari NiethammerCoaches: Head coach, Mike Bavineau; Assistant coach, Lauren ThompsonLast year’s record: 9-12Goals for season: They hope to accomplish an SEC title. “We have worked very hard this off-season to make ourselves better and hopefully it’ll pay off,” Niethammer said. “Our team unity should take us far.”

Captains: Chase Stevens, Gabe Altomare and Dan FlowersCoaches: Head Coach, Shane Rodriguez; Assistant coach, Josh Dillen.Last year’s record: 22-14Goals for season: To win the SEC and Districts. “We would also like to have individual wrestlers competing for individual state chanpionships at The Palace of Auburn Hills,” Rodriguez said.

Captains: Jesse Claflin and Liam DonevanCoach: Mike McHughLast year’s record: 6-4Goals for season: Winning SEC White division for the 12th consecutive year and placing top eight in the State. “We are a very young team with only six upper classmen,” McHugh said, “compared to 18 freshman and sophomores.”

Captains: Mike Kedroske, Stefan Elslager and Dave LamoreCoach: Head coach, Randy Swoverland; assistant coach, Jeff ZieglerLast year’s record : 13-9Goals for Season: “SEC White title and win all home games,” Swoverland said.

Volunteering: Math teacher and former football coach Brian Baird volunteers as a referee for the Powderpuff football fundraisor. Baird recently resigned from his position as junior var-sity football coach. Varsity defensive coordinator Ken Koenig also resigned his position.

Photo by Nick Byma

Photo by Ross Chamberlain

Photo by Austin Sullivan

Photo by Sarah Breuninger

Photo by Alyse ShannonPhoto by Luke Hattie

Brittany Martini & Alex Everardeditors-in-chief

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Sports9Friday, December 18, 2009

Factbox• Winkleseth is a four-time state champion as a coach at Detroit Cranbrook and a four- time state finalist.

• Winkleseth has coached all over the country at USA hockey clinics and in Canada.

• His focus on defense is to play aggressive towards the puck and move your feet quickly.

• He works in practice to help the players get prepared for games by doing drills in real- game situations.

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According to junior Sequoyah Burke Combs, everything changed once he hit high school. He started to get the fact that in order to be recruited and play at the next level, he would need to work twice as hard as before.

He did just that. He started working out and conditioning himself like never before.

He said he made himself better. Burke-Combs is now one of the people

who are commonly in the weight room and on the track between fall and spring sports seasons. “I work hard because I want the rest of the team to work hard as well,” Burke Combs said. “If they see me working hard, then maybe they will want to follow my lead.”

According to head football coach Tom Barbieri, off-season conditioning leads to more successful regular season. “ We need to get better as a team,” Barbieri said. “One of the main ways to do that is to get into shape.”

The conditioning schedule for the football players usually includes

a three-day-a-week regiment where they do a three by five set of lifting (bench, squat, clean), as well as some kind of conditioning, which the coaches choose.

For the soccer team, conditioning has brought great success, according to sophomore Mike McGonigle. “We don’t really condition as a team during the off season,” he said. “I mean we do like to get ready for club though.”

A group of five to 10 soccer players are always on the track either doing the flat ladder, the plyometric boxes, or they are just running around the track. They also lift. Though the soccer players are sometimes lifting, their conditioning schedule is running-based, considering their sport

revolves around running, according to sophomore Dylan Polly.

Baseball and softball are two more of the sports that have athletes conditioning in the off-season. Baseball players and softballers can sometimes be seen up on the track playing catch getting their arms ready for the upcoming season.

That’s not all they do. When coaches hold the off-season conditioning, the players work out with a variety of equipment, including medicine balls, jump ropes, the plyometric boxes or the flat ladder. They also run suicides or bleachers.

After running, the baseball players usually have some core workouts to do, which includes planks, sit ups and medicine ball work. For softball players, the workouts are much different.

With head coach Kathryn Day, the softball players run a lot of sprints, but are also in the weight room quite a bit. Day said, “I like strong and in-shape girls.”

That is, if the athletes are there. Many of the baseball players are also playing basketball as well. Such is the case with sophomore baseball player Mike Mioduszewski who said he looks to make the varsity team this year. “It’s not that I want to miss conditioning,” he said. “It’s just that the sport that is in season comes first.”

However, all players agree that conditioning is important to improve. Combs said, “I’ll do whatever it takes to make myself better.”

Tuckter WhitleyAssistant sports editor

Winter conditioning leads to success during season

New hockey coach commits players to good defense

This is the f irst Dexter vs. Chelsea hockey game of the winter season and also the f irst game of Dexter for defensive coach John Winkleseth.

Standing on top of the bench, Winkleseth gets a good view of the players and sees where they can improve and be more ready to play when the players go on their next shift.

Coming from Cranbrook in Bloomingfield Hills, Winkleseth has coached for 33 years in many different places, including at USA hockey clinics and in Canada. Most recently, at Cranbrook, his team won four state titles and reached the state f inalists four other times.

Winkleseth has taught his players this year to play more aggressively and commit themselves more on the defensive end. The players have committed themselves more to winning and getting back to the playoffs, Winkleseth said.

And Winkleseth has improved senior goalie Tony Ceccolini’s footwork since coming to Dexter. “Ceccolini is willing to work hard, and the other players are a lot of fun to work with,” Winkleseth said.

This has really improved Ceccolini’s game and footwork. “He’s reinforced me being aggressive on the puck,” Ceccolini said.

Something the players really seem to enjoy is the coach’s sense of humor. “He makes fun of players and how they perform and the way he does it is pretty funny,” Ceccolini said.

Senior Kevin Mors has been under the heat of Winkleseth’s critiquing. “He has

yelled at me multiple times for messing up, but it can be entertaining to listen to,” Mors said. Mors added that the players enjoy listening to other players get yelled at because it loosens the atmosphere.

Winkleseth is short and straight to the point when it comes to giving instructions and speeches. However, he can be intimidating to the players because of his harsh critiques on the players. “He doesn’t beat around the bush, and he is really constructive”, Ceccolini said.

Junior defenseman Andrew Erber agrees. “He is a very intense coach, but his sense of humor loosens things up with the team,” Erber said.

Erber said he has benefited from Winkleseth’s coaching. “He has also changed up practice to more one-on-one play rather than conditioning and other sorts,” Erber said. Erber said he has now learned to attack the puck more on defense and play with a greater intensity.

With changing practice to more one-on-one play, Winkleseth has also changed the philosophy of the team to get ready to play better in game like situations.

“We work a lot at practice to get ready to play in games and work on being coached during the games to make adjustments,” Erber said.

Defense and goaltending is his specialty and that has improved the team significantly in the beginning of the season, players said. “Along with being aggressive, moving your feet on defense is very important for success,” Winkleseth said.

As the season progresses, Winkleseth said he has high hopes of the team, thinking they can make it far in the playoffs. “Winkleseth is a smart man, and he knows what he’s doing,” Ceccolini said. “He can help us go far.”

David LaMoreAssistant opionion editor

Photo by Luke Hattie

Opinion 10Friday, December 18, 2009

When I think about my future, I get emotional. I experience both excitement and sadness as I near the end of high school.

While I am happy that I have made it through almost four years of high school, a tear comes to my eye when I realize I am going to graduate college in 2014, a year that will not exist.

While I know this information may come as a shock, it is important that we face the reality: in three short years, we will see the end of all that is. I can even tell you the exact date. Mark Dec. 21, 2012 as the final day of all eternity. Sorry, Christmas fans.

The end of the world may be a difficult subject to think about, and there are bound to be rumors about the true nature of this phenomenon. But as a journalist of the highest quality, I am committed to writing nothing but the purest truth.

I have dedicated weeks of extensive research to bring you the facts about the coming apocalypse in hopes that if enough people hear my warning, maybe enough will survive to repopulate the Earth when it’s over.

Just kidding. You’re all going to die.You may wonder what forces are behind this

quickly-approaching doomsday. All evidence points to the ancient Mayan civilization of Central and South America. Their calendar, created over 1,000 years ago, completes its 13th b’ak’tun on Dec. 21, 2012. This marks the end of the Great Cycle of the Long Count and the final day of our Great Period as indicated by engravings in the temples of the Mayan priest timekeepers.

However, their whole empire met its end in the 1500s when the Spanish invaders wiped them all out. I think it’s a shame that the Mayans are causing the destruction of all life, and they don’t even get to be around to watch it go down.

Unfortunately for us, however, we will all be there, and until recently, we didn’t really know how it was going to happen. However, new evidence has surfaced in the form of the Columbia Pictures movie, “2012.”

Based on the commercials, I can safely say that the Earth will be plagued by massive earthquakes, giant meteor showers, and the Himalayas will be flooded by tsunamis before the entire planet is consumed by fire.

I can also say with a fair degree of certainty that John Cusack will be there.

In my travels through the wonders of the Internet, I have also come across several other theories that confirm our impending doom at the hands of the angry Mayan gods.

For example, writer John Major Jenkins theorized in the 1990s that when the galaxy aligns at the end of 2012, it will somehow cause the end of the world.

Some scientists argue that the last time the galaxy aligned with our solar system in 1998, nothing happened, but this evidence is based completely on speculation and should therefore be ignored.

Also while exploring the world wide web, I discovered the studies of Terence McKenna, who formed his theories while experimenting with psychoactive mushrooms during the 1970s. According to McKenna, the universe is made up of energy called “novelty” which is related to the increasing complexity of the universe.

McKenna’s theory states that a moment will occur at the end of 2012 when the universe will reach its “singularity of infinite complexity” called Timewave Zero, at which point “anything and everything imaginable” will happen at exactly the same time, bringing the world to a quick and painless end.

Whether you look at it from the perspective of the ancient Mayans or a shroom-popping philosopher, there is only one possible outcome: the complete destruction of the human race.

By my count, we’ve got three years and three days left to prepare, so in order to help you prepare, I have compiled a list of events that describes, from beginning to end, the death of our planet and our civilization.

If that’s not depressing, then I don’t know what is.

Midnight. Sun goes out. World plunges into chaos.

3-7 a.m. Rave party erupts on the White House lawn in memory of our beloved Earth.

8:30 a.m. Volcanic activity buries North America under 10 feet of hot lava and ash.

8:30-11 a.m. Looting.

2 p.m. California breaks off of mainland, briefly declaring independence before sinking to bottom of Pacific Ocean.

11:30 p.m. Dexter wins a football game.

Midnight. World explodes.

2012: prepare to say goodbye to

the world

A common complaint about the D is that it’s boring, that there’s never anything to do here. Well, with the school giving us two extra weeks off to continue celebrating Hanukkah, there’s a lot of free time for people.

So when you’re done spinning your Dreidels and stuffing your faces with potato latkas, and don’t have anything left to do, I’ve compiled a list

of options to keep you entertained. Come back to school: who wouldn’t want

to spend their time over break coming back to the place they love so dearly? But this time the motive is different. Before the administration adds the 20,000 cameras they are planning to add, get your last fun in by paying a visit to the Candy Closet. Rumor has it the administrators added an extra obstacle to the course. Other options include searching for the basement and stealing school cookies and selling them on the black market.

Go to the mall: return your Hanukkah gifts , or buy last minute gifts for the other holiday coming up. You’ll be sure to run into at least 15 people you know doing the exact same thing, including science teacher Dave Callaghan who, for some reason, hangs out in the middle of the mall with a bunch of midgets and takes pictures with people.

Do somethin’ crazy: like volunteering. Seriously, there are a lot of people who need help, now more than ever. Most of us in Dexter are fortunate to be in such a good situation. Why not take a couple hours out of your break and help someone who needs it?

Work out: Go for a run or lift some weights because after Winter Break the only thing that matters is 42: the number of school days until Spring Break (actually 41 because nobody shows up the day before break, anyway). Time to start getting in shape.

Game: With the equivalent of 16 consecutive snow days, now is the perfect time to hone your video gaming skills, stay up all night to prestige on Call of Duty Modern Warfare two or play your tenth straight game of Madden. Now is not a time for sleep.

Build an igloo: Provided there is enough snow to do this, it is an incredibly entertaining and challenging activity. Even with four or five people this may take the whole week, but the end product is well worth the work.

Go outside: Sledding, skiing and snowboarding are all acceptable activities along with the occasional snowball fight. Dress warm and mess around until you can no longer feel any part of your body, then go inside and get a giant mug of hot chocolate, there’s nothing better.

Between these activities, there’s more than enough things to do over Winter Break. Have fun and enjoy whichever holiday you celebrate.

Be boredno more

Max BerryNews Editor

Kevin YarowsSports Editor

Marne LittleManaging Editor

Twil-holics need educatingI’ve read the first few books and have seen

both the movies, but I’m not sure if I understand how so many girls can be so obsessed with “Twilight”.

As much as I enjoy reading the “Twilight” books, some of the obsessive teenage girl-fans disgust me. These readers are turning as obsessive as Edward and Bella are with each other.

The “Twilight” fad has created a whole vampire craze. Bookstores have aisles and aisles with bookshelves filled with books about vampires. Why have vampires become so popular? Are vampires really all that appealing? Is Edward Cullen becoming the new and improved Dracula?

I’m not saying I hate “Twilight”, because I do like the books. I’m just saying that some fans are getting out of hand.

I went to see “New Moon,” and the screaming preteens and teens dressed up and taking pictures of the screen every time Edward or Jacob popped up, made the experience so much less enjoyable. Is it really necessary to take pictures of the movie when you can just go online and print off pictures from the movie’s website?

Walking into a crowded lobby of a theater is already kind of annoying, but to have to stand in long lines while there are girls yelling to their friends from across the room to come stand by them so they came sit together is infuriating.

Maybe everyone else’s experience with the movie was more enjoyable and didn’t involve girls running around the theaters, acting like they owned the place, but I think a lot of people would agree with me that this behavior is annoying when you’re trying to watch a movie you paid for.

These two characters have created major disputes over whether it’s better to be a part of “Team Jacob” or “Team Edward”. To think that girls could be losing friendships because they can’t agree on which character they find more appealing is idiotic.

Some of the girls obviously are obsessed with “Twilight” only because they are infatuated with Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, who they think are major hotties, but this means they aren’t true fans of what started this trend. These actors and actresses may be attractive, but most of them aren’t even that great of actors, and they make the movie less like the books.

The books came first, and the movies have created two different fan categories: those who appreciate the books and those who only like “Twilight” for the attractive cast. The fans who are in love with the movies are forgetting about what started the trend.

So to all you girls who seem to be possessed by “Twilight,” take a minute or two out of your possessed life and look back and read what started this “Twilight” mania.

Let’s talk “Twilight”. For those of you who love “Twilight,” that’s fine.

For those of you who hate “Twilight,” that’s fine too. You can hate vampires and werewolves for whatever reason. Maybe it’s because there is a lot of hype over the books and movies and soundtracks. That’s fine. This does not bother me.

People who hate, despise and would rather gouge their eyes out than see Robert Pattinson one more time do not bother me. Go on and hate “Twilight.” You probably also hate Zac Efron, Ugg Boots and Ryan Gosling movies. That does not bother me that either. We are all entitled to opinions and I respect yours.

But people who hate “Twilight” most likely do not hate the books. They hate what has come from the books. They hate the hype around the movies. They hate the rivalry between Edward fans and Jacob fans, and they hate how all of a sudden everyone is obsessed with vampires.

However there is no reason to hate these people. Let them be crazy. At least they are worshiping something educational. The main audience for these books are teenagers, an age group which is infamous for partaking in non-educational activities.

Let. Them. Read. They are participating in a wholesome activity.

You should allow them to productively use their time. Leave the bookworms alone.

Some people who hate “Twilight” actually like the books and hate the movies so much that they have channeled their hatred into anything and everything “Twilight.” They think the movies are a bad reflection of the books. Sure, the movies are bound to not be someone’s favorite, but positive things have come out of the movies too.

“New Moon” the “Twilight” sequel has grossed over $ 550 million internationally. Talk about stimulating the economy. Also the movie actually has underlying themes of passion, adventure, love and fighting for what you believe in; all of which are admirable lessons.

Let the Twi-lovers go to Barnes and Noble at midnight to buy the book. Let them dress up like a vampire for Halloween. Let them worship Robert Pattinson’s James Dean-esque hair and Taylor Lautner’s body.

Let them stand up for something they believe in. Because they actually do believe in something, and that’s better than not having anything to believe in at all.

All of you Twi-haters should get over yourselves. The Twi-hards have done nothing wrong. They simply have a passion for a book.

There are so many negative things in our world. Why hate on such a positive one? Leave the Twili-holics alone, for they have done nothing to deserve such negative behavior from you, the Twi-haters.

Stop the Twi-hate

Brittany martiniEditor-in-Chief

• Efron in Uggs

• Pattinson

• Lautner

• New Moon movie

• New Moon book

A teen craze gone batty

2012 End-of-the-world Timeline

EDITORS IN CHIEF:

Alex Everard, Brittany Martini

MANAGING EDITOR:

Marne LIttle

EDITORS

DESIGN: Candice WiesnerFEATURES: Kaitlyn Shepard ENTERTAINMENT: Nicole MinzeyOPINIONS: Kristi HughesPHOTO: Lauren Daugherty, JoJo ParinSPORTS: Kevin YarowsHEALTH: Ashley Burleson, Coleen HillTRENDS: Caitlyn RizeuPAGE: Ian McCarthyGET INVOLVED: Alex DobbsCOPY: Emily Van DusenNEWS: Max Berry, Nic MillerCOMMUNITY: Gabe AltomareDEXTER LEADER: Emily DarrowBLOGS: Erin McAweeney

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERSSarah Breuninger, Ross Chamberlain, Lauren Daugherty, Ariel Star, Nicole Chalou, JoJo Parin, Luke Hattie, Connor Thompson, Chris Riecker, Nick Byma, Alyse Shannon, Taylor Kraft, Austin Sullivan, Kent Sprague

ADVERTISING: Lisa Crompton

TWEETER: Thomas Griffith

STAFF WRITERS

Jack Nixon, Tyler McCarthy, Rachel Butler, Tucker Whitley, Dave LaMore, Morgan Quist, Sirah Camara, Megan Podschlne, Steve Ferguson, Toliver Rogers, Liz O’Keefe, Sarah Molnar, Nick Gonet, Aaron Gilman, Steve Miller, Alex McMurray, Jake Aliapoulios, Caroline Green, Alex Hiner, John Brosch, Kevin Mors, Emily Pap, Kayla Samuels, Dan Edwards, Emma Korte, Julie Lindemann, Marshall Kellenberger

CARTOONISTGabe Altomare

ADVISERRod Satterthwaite

TALK BACK:The Squall is an open forum for student expression. It accepts letters to the editor from any and all concerned parties. The Squall reserves the right to screen and/or edit any and all letters for inappropriate content and length. All letters must be signed. Requests to remain anonymous will be considered by the editorial board.

Editorial 11Friday, December 18, 2009

SquallThe

Next year looks to be a struggle f inancially for Michigan schools due to statewide budget cuts. These cuts will af fect some schools more than others. Dexter schools are in a situation where cuts are needed but are stil l in a good enough situation to avoid any major changes in programs or staf f cuts for this year. Students need to be thankful that cuts have not started yet.

Schools are currently facing nearly a $300 cut per student this year, and this number may more than double by next year. Even in Dexter, a f inancially stable area, the school district needs to cut about 10 percent of the budget, or around $3 million. What is unknown is exactly how Dexter will do this.

According to Principal Kit Moran, the

district will not f ire any teachers or staf f this year. But, Moran also said, paying staf f makes up about 84 percent of the school’s costs, it would be impossible to make up $3 million without making some cuts to the staf f next year.

Meetings in the spring will decide program cuts, teacher layoffs and transportation costs for 2010-2011. But that is for next year, and many local schools are cutting things now.

Saline Schools, for example, is expected to be short $5,465,000 over the next 18 months due to the decreased funding from the state and lower enrollment. This projection has already forced Saline to consider lay ing of f staf f as early as March.

Ypsilanti schools project that if they don’t make cuts, their def icit will reach

$5.2 million by 2015. Ypsi is expected to make preventative cuts like Saline to programs and possibly to staf f.

While these schools are cutting programs Dexter is adding a few, like the Alert Now program. This lets the community know about upcoming events or school closings through e-mail and text, and will cost about $8,000. This is an example of how f inancially, Dexter is stil l stable and adding programs while other districts are cutting them.

Students should understand that funding will be reduced to programs like athletics in order to keep the school out of debt. But the district also needs to think about how the cuts they make will af fect the students, and try to avoid anything that will get in the way of students’ education.

THE

Cuts for next year should be made with students in mind

Dear editor,

We wanted to thank Toliver Rogers for the well-written article about our farm. There was one small error, which is that we do not have a corn maze, although we are considering a straw maze for next year. Thanks, again, Toliver and The Squall, for the article. Sincerely, Kevin and Stacey WingWing Farms

Letters to the Editor

People say Christmas has become too material. That the world has forgotten the real meaning of the holiday season. But those people are the same ones wrapping their houses with miles of Christmas lights, letting giant, inflatable Santas scare small

children in their front lawn, and buying ungodly amounts of gifts to put under their 20-foot tall Christmas tree.

The truth is, the majority of the people in this country enjoy the materialistic holiday season. The number of people who drive around looking at the beautiful Christmas lights is far greater than those in search of nativity scenes.

Americans like to do things big. The bigger and brighter your Christmas displays are, the better. If you want to hoist Santa, Rudolph and his other eight reindeer on top of your roof for all to see, go ahead.

Most people enjoy seeing this elaborate display of holiday spirit, while some may drive by and mutter that Jesus wouldn’t approve. If you were Jesus though, wouldn’t you want people to enjoy your birthday? Aren’t you supposed to have fun at birthday parties?

Imagine that it is your birthday, and for some reason, everyone in this world decides to celebrate it. So you wake up the morning of your birthday and everyone is huddled around a decorative tree in your honor, opening

hundreds of gifts. Everyone is happy and having a great time. Best birthday ever, right?

Now imagine the same situation, only this time you wake up and everyone is gathered inside of a large dark building, holding candles, singing “Silent Night”. Little kids are whining to their parents that they want to go home, and a man at the front of the building has been preaching for over an hour.

Option A seems to be the more appealing option. Option B just doesn’t create that much of a birthday atmosphere, not to mention the obvious fire hazard of children with candles.

For kids and adults alike, Christmas is one of the best times of the year. If you told every family in the United States that instead of putting up their tree and lights, they had to put up a cross and a nativity scene, I think that there would be a fairly large number of unhappy people.

This country’s economic system also thrives during the holiday season. Stores can sometimes make more than half their profit for the year during the holidays. Charities also gain more donations during the holiday than any other time of the year.

While people complain about how commercial and materialistic the holidays have become, they don’t realize that this is part of the reason people enjoy the holidays so much.

I’m not telling you to celebrate a certain way. I’m just saying that people should be allowed to celebrate how ever they want.

If you like to celebrate by spending thousands of dollars on gifts, then so be it. If you enjoy shutting yourself inside your home and praying all day, that’s fine too.

For years, the holidays have been about gift-giving. And every year people, especially children, look forward to receiving gifts for the holidays, when really the holidays are supposed to be about spending time with the people you care about and

giving your time to help others.Every year, companies make sure to come out with the newest and most

updated items to sell around the holiday season, knowing that they will make their biggest profit of the year. People spend hundreds of dollars on gifts that get broken or sometimes don’t even get used.

Children have been taught that the holidays are all about receiving gifts. Each year, many children make long lists of all the presents they want and expect to receive for the holidays.

Although it’s nice to receive gifts, that’s not what people should focus on during the holiday season. People need to start teaching children that

the holidays are about spending time with the people you care about. Many people have relatives and friends whom they don’t get to visit

often throughout the year. Sometimes the holidays are the only time people are able to see some

of their friends and family. The holidays are the time people get a chance to be with the ones they

care about and spend time with them.The holidays aren’t just about receiving but are also about giving. They

are about helping out the people who don’t have a lot. In fact, there are many different charities and ways to help people

who need it. Even though it doesn’t cost a lot of money or take up much time to help someone, many people would still rather spend hundreds of dollars on gifts.

There are many ways to help out people by spending only a few dollars. There are even some ways of helping that don’t cost any money at all.

The holidays are not supposed to be about the material things like receiving expensive gifts. The holidays are about helping those who struggle and spending time with the people you care about, such as family and friends.

Elizabeth O’Keefestaff writer

Marshall Kellenberger staff writer

Holidays too commericialized?

Photostory12Friday, December 18, 2009

‘trust’ filmed at

dexter high

I n November Dexter High School hosted the cast and crew of the

movie “Trust” as they f i lmed for a whole week around the school and the surrounding Ann Arbor area.

This is the second movie f i lmed at DHS, and the f i rst to include many students as extras .

The f i rst movie was “Betty Anne Waters” which included Hilary Swank playing the lead role .

This t ime around “Trust” includes a cast headl ined by actor Cl ive Owen and director David Schwimmer.

Owens is know for s tarr ing in the “The Closer” and “King Arthur,” and Schwimmer became famous playing the character Ross in the te levis ion s i tcom “Friends”

DHS junior Shane Torrey had the chance to be an extra in a scene where a f ight breaks out during a vol leybal l game and Owens walks across the f loor to f ight a dad from the other team.

Though Torrey enjoyed the experience, he said he would not l ike to be an extra again.

“We just sat there most of the t ime,” he said.“It would be cooler i f I had a bigger part . I t was very boring just s i t t ing there for s ix hours .”

While k ids from DHS did get paid to

be extras during the week, on Friday the f i lm had an open shoot where people from al l over the area could come and be extras in the movie .

For the scene shot on Friday, the extras were asked to pretend they were at a vol leybal l game and react the way they normal ly would: cheer when their team scores , react to a f ight that breaks out l ike they would normal ly react to a f ight and, most important ly , don’ t look direct ly at the camera.

Another person af fected by the movie shoot was French teacher Amy Olmstead.

The crew shot a few scenes in her room during the week. They turned her French room into an I ta l ian language room and shot scenes out the window into the parking lot below. Olmstead said she was never s tarstruck by Schwimmer, though.

“The f i rst t ime he came in my room many weeks before they started f i lming, I thought he (Schwimmer) was just here to instal l securi ty cameras around the school , not shoot a movie ,” she said.

“Trust” was a lso f i lmed in other spots around the Ann Arbor area. The movie is set in Chicago, but the school in the movie has the same colors as DHS: maroon and gold.

According to mlive .com, the planned re lease date for the f i lm is 2011 .

alex hinerstaff writer

Schwimmermovietoopenin2011

Smiles on set: Lead actress Liana Liberato and director David Schwimmer talk between takes while shooting in the Dread Dome. Liverato has acted in shows such as “House” and “CSI: Miami”.

Sink or Schwimm: Schwimmer looks on as a scene is shot in the school parking lot. Students anxious to see themselves on the big screen will have to wait until 2011, the film’s scheduled release date.

A sign of Hollywood: “Trust” marks the second film in two years that has used Dexter High School for shooting. The first starred Hilary Swank, but the crew of this film, “Betty Anne Waters”, only used the main office. “Trust” is the first film to use DHS as a major location in its plot.

The boss man: Al-though he is most popular for his roles on television and the big screen as an actor, this is not Schwimmer’s first time directing. He also oversaw pro-duction and filming of “Run Fatboy Run,” a 2007 film. Schwim-mer has directed a number of television shows as well.

Fine tuning : Exposure to the film process gave students rare insight into the unseen efforts that go into a major motion picture such as the vitality of perfect camera work.

Hollywood clutter: Various film tools occupied space throughout the school while “Trust” was filmed. Students were encouraged to ignore the foreign objects, and director David Schwimmer offered a warning to student extras, telling them to never look directly into the camera.

Photos by Candice Weisner, Brittany Martini and Cid Swank

From parking space to storage space: Boxes filled with unused equip-ment were stored in the parking lot.

Lighting is key: Crew members adjusted high powered bulbs to offer optimal lighting.