Costly crimes

12.18.2009 haslett high school 5450 marsh road haslett mi 48840 volume 15 issue 4

by calla VAN ATTA

The bell rings and

the lunchroom
quickly fills with a
stampede of hungry
students, eager to
squeeze the most
time out of the 30-
minute period. In
the midst of the
routine commotion,
a student snatches
a candy bar from
the shelf and slips
it into a sweatshirt
pocket.

see Stealing page 2

photo illustration by
andrew BEAUMAN

Powerade = $1.75 X 30 Stolen a day X 5 Days a week= -$262.50

2 December 18, 2009 news

Time for giving

by cassandra STASZUK
Walking up to Wal-Mart, it
may be surprising to hear peo-
ple singing Christmas songs
since there aren’t many people
who would choose to sing in
front of a store in the freezing
snow.
Salvation Army volunteer
Michael Harris sings in front
of Wal-Mart to bring happi-
ness to the customers and to
encourage them to donate
money. The money then goes
toward helping people who
are struggling financially.
Simply ringing the bell just
doesn’t do it for Harris and
many people enjoy his spirit.
“It’s a good job, and it’s for a
good cause,” Harris said. “I
do it every holiday season.”
Although he’s seen a small
decline in donations, Harris
still has seen many people
contribute to the cause.
“Many people are still be-
ing generous,” Harris said.
“Some lady just today donated
$50 to me.“
Trying to be a good person
can be time-consuming but
the American Red Cross is
working to ease that burden.
According to www.redcross.
org, the organization sees less
blood donations due to people
having a more hectic sched-
ule than normal during the
holiday season. It has tried to
make the blood-donating pro-
cess easier by allowing people
to set up appointments on its
website.
“In just about an hour, you
can help make the difference
between life and death,” the
website said.
Some volunteers don’t have
to look that far to give back.
Senior Sam Sohn came early
to school one day to attend
a Key Club meeting and has
since become a regular mem-
ber. Sohn recently helped
make Christmas cards with
the club to send to Burcham
For those who want
to try ringing a bell
or maybe belting out
some tunes for a good
cause, call the Salvation
Army at (517) 482-9715
to volunteer.
Hills and hand out to the el-
derly people who live there.
She joined because she
likes helping people. It’s not
that hard to volunteer with the
club either.
“A lot of events don’t last
that long and we only have
one to two a month,” Sohn
said. “More people should
join because we’re asked to do
a lot so it would help to have
more people helping.”
Volunteer stands outside of store
ringing a bell for donations to the
Salvation Army
photo by taylor PARKER

State budget crisis Stealing from page 1

threatens programs
by jenny LITTLE
The recent state budget cuts are something
that have both teachers and students worrying.
These cuts could affect everything from busing
to the quality of classes in the Haslett school
district.
In September, Michigan legislators projected
a $125 per student cut in state aid. The Haslett
Board of Education took this news and devel-
oped a plan to make $300,000 in budget cuts.
A month later, legislators moved to increase the
reduction to $165, a cut that was approved on
Dec. 10. An additional proposed $127 cut is
expected to be avoided due to the state col-
lecting more money in commercial taxes than
expected.
While there are currently no official cuts,
many teachers, especially those involved with
the elective programs, are concerned for the
funding of their programs. Art teacher Nick
Stanko admits that both he and art teacher
Rhonda Sherwin have been fortunate with
their classes and hope to keep them growing.
Expanding the programs and continuing to
buy supplies may be difficult with a potential
funding shortage.
“We will definitely make a case for what we
need,” Stanko said.
Sherwin added that in the 10 years she has
been working at Haslett, the supply budget for
all teachers has already decreased by at least
$900. The art classes require a supply fee from
the students so that items such as paints and
clay can be purchased.
“We haven’t raised the supply fee because we
want to keep kids coming,” Sherwin said.
Sherwin is concerned that with less money,
fewer supplies can be bought. Without supplies
there is no class and, ultimately, no job.
Choir teacher Erich Wangeman worries
about the detrimental impact the downsizing
could have on the choir program.
“I’m more concerned about the effect the
budget cuts will have on the students if they
don’t have a quality music experience,” Wange-
man said.
To have a worthwhile experience, there
needs to be funding for uniforms and transpor-
tation to festivals as well as money for buying
the music itself. Wangeman fears that if fund-
ing is cut from choir, students will not have
these essentials.
Junior Lyndsay Manson is nervous about
choir’s future as well.
“We talk about it pretty much every day in
choir,” Manson said. “Some people want to go
into music as their career and without choir...
nothing.”
An increased enrollment of students in the
school district may help relieve the situation.
“We had an additional forty-some students
that helped balance out any deficit we might
have,” superintendent Michael Duda said.
The boosted population helps because the
district gets funding on a per-student basis.
However, Duda said that if the cuts pass, things
such as extracurriculars and busing could be
affected. The cuts are ultimately decided by the
board of education, but the board is open to
input from staff and community.
“There are all kinds of decisions that will
need to be made by the community in terms of
priorities,” Duda said.
This is just one of the methods students use
to steal from the cafeteria. Lunchroom employ-
ee Brigid Gentile said she finds empty french
fry containers left behind on the shelves after
students have emptied the containers onto
their trays – two for the price of one. Students
have also been caught eating or drinking items
before they pay, which is considered stealing
even if the student intends on paying.
As for the amount of food stolen, students
would be surprised to hear what the dollar
amount adds up to.
“It’s more than what you think,” associate
principal Darin Ferguson said.
In mid November, Gentile and the rest of the
cafeteria staff took inventory of the candy and
drinks before both lunches, and again after
both lunches and found a huge discrepancy.
“Almost $100 in one day....which is some-
one’s wages, and that was really just candy and
drinks that we inventoried,” Gentile said.
Many students don’t realize the seriousness
of the issue.
“It seems like a little problem, but it’s not....
it’s very much a trickle-down situation,” Gen-
tile said.
The stealing is beginning to affect school
budgeting since cafeteria food is included in
the budget, and profit from the food is partially
utilized for paying employees.
The stealing also directly affects the students
who buy school lunches.
“It affects all the student body because the
prices go up,” Gentile said.
While some students choose to make bad
decisions in the cafeteria, most agree that shop-
lifting from the lunchroom is wrong.
“It’s not correct. Why would you steal from
your own school?” junior Jonathon Caddy
said.
Some students have witnessed other students
snatching items while waiting in line. Senior
Kathryn Bristor saw a student attempting to
steal and told them to put the item back. She
said students are stealing because they don’t
want to wait in line.
“They are too lazy to buy stuff,” Bristor
said.
Recently some measures have been taken in
order to help put a stop to this growing prob-
lem. Signs have been placed on the drink cool-
ers warning students about the consequences of
stealing. In addition, principals Bart Wegenke
and Ferguson have been patrolling the lunch
lines more closely by standing near the drink
coolers and candy stands – the most frequently
stolen items.
“We are more visible in there,” Ferguson
said.
Ferguson and Wegenke aren’t the only ones
on the lookout for shoplifting; Gentile has al-
ready caught several students attempting to
steal. One student attempted three times.
“The first time I catch them I usually just
warn them, but the second time I am forced to
get the administration involved,” Gentile said.
Students who are caught will face an au-
tomatic in-school suspension. If the problem
persists, guilty students will be forced to reim-
burse the school.
“We don’t want to be militant and mean
about it, but something has to be done,” Gen-
tile said.
3 December 18, 2009 opinion
From better to worse: Christmas changes
Christmas lists started in mid-October, the It was magical. Some of the best memories I’ve ever had as a The first Christmas after the divorce was spent “with Dad.”
tree went up early November and Christmas kid occurred at Christmas. I wish that every child in the world After opening presents with my mom, we traveled to my grand-
music played throughout the house a week could experience the happiness that Christmas gave my brother, ma’s house, alone, and opened presents there. It wasn’t nearly

“
before Thanksgiving.
Christmas was our family’s
favorite holiday. Our lives were
by ali FOOTE
changed during the time spent
preparing to celebrate. Every-
thing we did was happier and
cheerier because the holidays brought so many
sister and me. the same without our mother there. Everyone was awkward
But apparently all good things come around us, as if we were broken children. It was as if there was a
No present in the to an end. large elephant in the room the whole time. I hated it.
I was 16 years old when my parents No present in the world could ever replace the feeling that
world could ever divorced. It’s not one of those things Christmas gave me when I was younger. And it’s hard to grasp
replace the feeling that was a shock to all. Everyone saw it the fact that things will never be the same.
coming. My siblings and I had been try- It sickens me when I hear people complain about how they
that Christmas

”
great things. ing to prepare for it for a long time. But hate Christmas. Take your Scrooge-like opinion elsewhere.
For every holiday, our family would gather gave me when I when it came, it still hit like a full-speed Christmas means something different to everyone, whether it
together at my grandma’s house where she’d was younger. semi-truck. is finally having a good meal, getting an extra holiday bonus in
cook an extravagant meal of homemade buttery Our last Christmas spent together your paycheck or being able to give presents to loved ones. It’s
mashed potatoes, savory honey-baked ham and was in Florida, where we visited Walt simply wrong to rant about it negatively. You don’t hate Christ-
endless desserts, every single time. There was no Disney World and had Christmas with mas. You hate what you have made of Christmas.
minimum for that woman. It was always the best my family in the South. It was the worst I feel selfish complaining about how my holidays have
it could ever be. Christmas of my life. My parents had trouble making the best changed from better to worse, when some kids have never had a
Christmas presents came in the dozens. We all got exactly for us when they couldn’t enjoy it for themselves. Not even a better holiday to reminisce about. I can only imagine struggling
what we wanted, and every time we would wonder how it was glorious trip to Florida could cover the fact that our family was through the holidays to a point where I wonder what the meal
possible. I still don’t know how my grandma found that pink deteriorating. Christmas as we knew it had ended. will be at the soup kitchen. Christmas isn’t what people give
and white dollhouse with a matching convertible for my Bar- I consider my siblings and myself lucky not only for the luxu- you. It’s what you make of what people give you.
bie dolls. Come hell or high water, my grandma would go to ries we have had over the years, but for the heads that were put Don’t complain about having to see your family over the holi-
the ends of the earth to get us everything we wanted on our on our shoulders. We are a smart bunch and have been through days. I would give anything to bring my family back together. So
Christmas lists. My parents would have to drive two cars to a lot. We can handle anything together. But what was hardest on please, don’t let me hear about your holiday complaints again.
my grandma’s house just so we could fit all the presents on the us these past few years was watching our family fall apart right I’m sure there’s someone in this world besides me who would be
way home. in front of our eyes and not being able to do anything about it. willing to hit you over the head with an oversized candy cane.

STAFF EDITORIAL:
Charity: The true gift of Christmas that always gives back
When the first snow arrives and the tempera-
ture begins to drop, our minds shift from school
and sports to the holidays. The holidays are a
truly special time when families come closer to-
gether, gifts are distributed and an aura of hope
looms about the community.
ing others. We need to take the time to stop
editing our wish lists and go donate some of our
time to a more charitable cause.
The act of charity doesn’t require a lot of
money or even a lot of time. Sometimes it’s the
little things that make someone’s day, like shov-
As cliché and cheesy as it may sound, charity
is truly the gift that keeps on giving back. This
winter break, make it your goal to make a differ-
ence in someone else’s life.
photo illustration by
andrew BEAUMAN

But with the holiday festivities comes the inevi- eling an elderly neighbor’s
table stress. The stress of finding the perfect gift driveway or baking cookies
for that special someone. The horrors of holiday for someone who is going
shopping. And the endless hours of cooking and through a rough time.
cleaning in preparation for the imminent arrival Oftentimes, the needier
of relatives. people in our community are
During this hectic time, it is easy for us to lose overlooked. Spend an hour
sight of the true meaning of the holidays: helping or two and help out in a soup
others. kitchen. Or take time to clean
In December, we seem to get such a bad case out your closet and donate
of the “gimmes” and we get so caught up with unused clothing. Both actions
holiday stresses that we forget to focus on help- will make an impact.

The CREW
Viking Longboat staff BC feature editor STAFF WRITERS Lauren Hooper Michael Sherman
The Viking Longboat is a monthly publication of Haslett High School, 5450
Marsh Road, Haslett, MI 48840. It is published by the Newspaper Production
Ali Foote Ali Adkins Jake Lampman Kat Smith class and Journalism class. The Longboat has been established as a student-
editor-in-chief Meghan Anderson Jenny Little Jessica Stanich run public forum circulated within the school and to subscribers in the
sports editors
Emma Claucherty Chris Andresen Chris Lounsbery Cassandra Staszuk community and outside the school district. The Longboat is a member of
Jerry Eastwood Liz Baker Jacob Meier Maggie Turney
copy editor the National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association,
& Lexis Guarnaccia Courtney Black Kerry Morris Calla Van Atta
Elizabeth Young Gabe Nester Casey VanDenBerg Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Michigan Interscholastic Press
feature editor Mary Brown
photo editor Kelsea Ellis Zach Parker Nick Wakulsky Association. The publication is a eight-time Spartan award winner and CSPA
Hannah Nowicki gold medalist.
Taylor Parker Kristen Everhardt Chelsea Ridenour Kevin Wilson
ad manager Liz Ringlein Shelby Wood Letters to the editor are accepted at the discretion of the editorial board.
graphics editor Aaron Grove
Mary Hilker Shane Heston Nick Rosenbery Rebecca Wright Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be published.
Andrew Beauman advisers Letters must be signed by the author and may be edited for grammar, spelling
opinion editor Julie Price & Jeremy Whiting and style. Direct all questions to the Publications Room, Room 411.
Bailey McMillan
4 December 18, 2009 opinion

Epic Fail

by elora UNDERHILL
A STORY BEHIND
EVERY
SCAR
photo illustration by
taylor PARKER
6 December 18, 2009
Football scrimmage
gets ugly
by chris LOUNSBERY
The practice jerseys for the freshman football team
had not been delivered yet, so the team just decided
to play shirts against skins. Ryan Christman was a
part of the skins team, playing tight end.
As practice went on Chrisman’s vision of the field
began to deteriorate. Coach Rob Porritt threw a pass,
he led Christman a little too far. Christman never
notcied the orange fence that was directly in front of
him, until he looked down at the last second and slid
to get underneath the fence. Christman didn’t com-
pletly clear the bottom of the fence and it cut across
his left pectorial about three inches.
“I never really noticed it until Coach (Porritt) said
somthing to me about it, then I figured I should go
and get it checked out,” Christman said. Christman’s
mother was worried sick about this incident because
of the amount of blood. “She was reallly scared for
me because it bled for like three hours,” Christman
said.
Junior Ryan Chris-
man shows off his scar
proudly.
photo by taylor PARKER
blue compass
Heart defect leaves more
than just a scar
by liz BAKER
The tip of a long, white scar pokes out from underneath sopho-
more Laura Bone’s t-shirt. The scar begins at the top of her
chest and continues all the way down to her stomach. Two other
scars, one on her shoulder and one on her stomach, accompany
the long gash. The scars have been part of Bone’s body since she
was six months old.
“I had a heart defect when I was born,” Bone said. “I only
had one big circle, instead of four chambers in my heart.”
A normal heart has four chambers that circulate blood. Bone did
Every scar has a story, not have a wall to separate the different chambers.
The large scar down her chest is the result of a surgery she had
to undergo to fix her heart when she was just a baby.
and for these students, “I have a pacemaker now, to keep my heart beating,” Bone
said.
their scars tell stories
The scars on her shoulder and stomach are a result of the
pacemaker. A pacemaker is a small device placed in the chest to
help control abnormal heart rhythms. Bone is required to have
of pain, weakness
surgery every three to four years to replace the pacemaker, along
with annual check-ups.
Bone doesn’t feel self-conscious about the scar because she has
and unforgettable lived with it her whole life. She doesn’t mind answering questions
about it either and is even willing to joke about it.
“I tell funny stories like, ‘Oh I got stabbed’ when people ask me
memories. about it,” Bone said.
Simple slip leads to
unforgotten memory
by nick WAKULSKY
Many people have a scar somewhere on their body. Accompa-
nying each mark is a story behind the incident. For some, it was
a terrible traumatic event, such as a car accident or major injury.
For others, it was a simple childhood mishap, which is exactly how
senior Blake Damerow got his scar.
Damerow has a scar on his forehead, right between his eye-
brows. It is not very big or very noticeable to most people. The
scar looks like a little slash mark scratched permanently into his
skin, but doesn’t seem to bother Damerow very much.
“I don’t mind it because I think it makes me look tough,” Dam-
erow said.
When he was four years old, he slipped as he was getting out of
the shower and hit his head on the toilet. Damerow remembers that
it hurt a lot at the time.
“I remember getting right up to get a good look at it in the mir-
ror,” Damerow said.
His parents took him straight to the doctor, but he did not need
stitches and was simply patched up.
The story behind how Damerow acquired his scar isn’t serious,
but it certainly left him with a lasting impression that is more than
just a scar on his face.
“I’m more careful now when I come out of the shower,” Dam-
erow said.
Hockey player with more
than just a story to tell
by lauren HOOPER
As the Eastside Stars high school hockey practice drags on,
sophomore Jordan Scott races into the corner for the puck.He
suddenly falls, slicing his knee on a fellow teammate’s skate. The
practice continues, but Scott doesn’t realize he’s been injured until
it’s over.
“It hurt, but I didn’t think it was that serious at first,” Scott said.
After practice, his teammates got a closer look at the damage. A
thick gash spanning the width of his knee bled profusely.
“Most of them just said ‘That’s nasty, that’s not good,’” Scott
said.
When Scott returned home, he showed the injury to his parents.
“They weren’t all that concerned,” Scott said. “My dad simply
said, ‘Yeah that’ll probably need a stitch or two.’ He wasn’t terribly
concerned. It was my mother who was more worried.”
Fourteen stitches later and a gaping wound sealed, Scott returns
to hockey after few weeks. He continues to practice with his team,
playing the sport that first got him in the predicament.
But not long after his return, the newly closed hole tears again.
After Scott allows it to heal once more, he heads back to the rink.
To him, hockey is worth the risk of injury.
“It hasn’t really affected what I do now,” Scott said. “I keep
playing exactly the way I used to.”
Now the cut has become a regular scar, a permanent reminder
that often attracts attention from his peers.
“Friends ask a lot of questions and think it’s kinda gross,” Scott
said.
While Scott doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him, he is willing
to satisfy their curiosity.
“I don’t like sympathy, but people asking questions doesn’t make
me mad,” Scott said.
External scar is a reminder
for life-long disease
by gabe NESTER
The one-inch horizontal scar on the left side of her chest doesn’t
exactly speak for itself. The various guesses, ranging from a burn
to a hickey, make senior Meagan Lesperance laugh. But
Lesperance hasn’t always been light-hearted about her scar. Her
feelings have changed greatly since she had the life-changing
surgery in September 2007.
“I started crying because the tape over the incision looked higher
and more visible then they told me it would be,” Lesperance said.
The external scar isn’t the only thing reminding Lesperance of
the surgery. She now has an interal port IV that lies in a vein above
her heart. The other end of the hollow tube connects with the
disc-shaped port, which sits under the incision. After six PICC IV
lines, inwcreasing risk for vein clots in her arm halted this frequent
procedure. In Lesperance’s case, the next step was to get a circular
port IV to receive medication.
“A port can last from six to 10 years,” Lesperance said.
Without these ports, Lesperance would not be able to get the
numerous IV medications she needs to treat her disease.
“I was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when I was five and a half,
which is later than normal,” Lesperance said.
This condition causes sticky mucus to cover the inside walls
of her lungs which makes it hard to breathe and also affects her
digestive system.
“I go to the hospital for at least two to three weeks twice a year
for treatments,” Lesperance said. Although useful for its longevity,
Lesperance has to get the port flushed with solution once a month
to keep it clean.
Immediately after the surgery, Lesperance was angry and scared
of what people would think. But she has since learned to ignore the
remarks.
“When people make ignorant comments to me about my scar,
now I just blow it off and laugh,” Lesperance said.
The story behind her scar may be a mystery to the casual
observer, but for Lesperance, it is both a permanent part of her
body and a defining aspect of her life.
“I wasn’t OK with it at first, but now I feel like it makes me who
I am,” Lesperance said.
December 18, 2009 7
A skateboarding disaster
by meghan ANDERSON
A vivid, deep trench stretches from senior Bryan Rohroff’s
elbow to his shoulder, forever marking the most painful day of
his life. Holes line each side where countless stitches had laced
his arm. This pitted crevasse is a souvenir from a painful skate-
boarding accident and multiple surgeries attempting to fix it.
Rohroff had been spending a typical afternoon skateboarding with
a friend near his house in seventh grade. His friend approached
him from behind and was about to give him a playful shove when
suddenly the board tripped over a rock.
Rohroff went flying. He landed sideways with his full body weight
crushing his elbow. “It was a whole new level of pain,” Rohroff said.
His elbow shattered instantly. When he stood up, his forearm bent
the opposite way, the bone jutting out beneath the skin.
“It didn’t break the skin. But, if bent more (the bone) would
have come out,” Rohroff said. Initially, his friends thought he was
just joking around, or trying to make them feel guilty.
“They laughed at first,” Rohroff said. “Then I got up and they
realized the extent of it and they were shocked.”
The pain was excruciating as Rohroff clutched his dangling
arm and quickly hurried home. “I held it in until I was in the
door,” Rohroff said. “Then I cried like a baby.”
After the pain sent him into shock, he was rushed to the ER.
“The 20-minute ride to Sparrow Hospital seemed like forever,”
Rohroff said. “It felt like I had no elbow. There was a constant,
strong, sharp, shooting pain. Anything that would even slightly
move my arm would kill.” Because of the overwhelming pain, it
took him over 30 minutes to move from his car to the ER wheel-
chair.
He had a total of two surgeries, the first taking place that day.
Both operations left him with two plates and 11 screws in his arm.
One of the plates and four of the screws remain in his arm today.
Rohroff spent three days in the hospital, three months in physical
therapy and six months in a sling. Hovever, none of these com-
pared to the initial pain. “The worst part of it was the pain from
the actual break,” Rohroff said.
While the pain from the incident has since faded away, the ef-
Sophomore Jordan
fects of permanent damage still linger today.
“When the seasons or weather change, I can feel it in my el-
Scott displays the bow,” Rohroff said. “And it doesn’t feel good. It’s a sharp, shoot-
scar on his knee.
photo by taylor PARKER
ing pain.”
His right arm will also never fully extend again– it simply locks about
halfway down. Because of this, his arms reach to different lengths.
Despite these new restrictions, Rohroff loves his scar’s uniqueness.
“It’s really big and you don’t see many scars like it,” Rohroff said.
The unusual scar often attracts attention from other people.
The responses often range from admiration to disgust.
Painful surgery makes for “Ridiculous, amazing, cool, gross – I get a lot of mixed reac-
tions to my scar,” Rohroff said. “I love telling people wild sto-
a permanent memory ries about how I got the scar – like being attacked by a shark.”
Rohroff also hinted at liking the attention and reaction from girls.
Although his gaping scar may make some cringe, he would not
by ali FOOTE trade it for the world.
It’s the first week of school and due to the warmer weather, ju- “I love it,” Rohroff said. “I would never want to get rid of it.”
nior Quinn Wilson chose to wear burgundy sweater, gladiator
shoes with funky earrings and shiny necklaces. All paired with
khaki shorts. She ignores the glances and obvious stares because
the deep scars that lie on her right thigh are nothing but a memory
to her at this point.
“I used to be really self-conscious about them because they’re
such large scars and people would stare at them all the time,” Wil-
son said. “Now I wear what I want and don’t try to hide them.”
Wilson was born with her right leg shorter than her left by one
and a half inches. For the first few years of her life, doctors as-
sumed that the leg would eventually grow on its own. However,
when Wilson reached the seventh grade, her right leg remained
shorter than her left. Doctors established that surgery was required
to lengthen her leg.
“The doctor said it would be the worst pain I would ever experi-
ence in my life,” Wilson said. “And it was.”
The surgery required the doctors to go in and physically saw
Wilson’s bone in half and place pins that were screwed in daily in
order to lengthen her leg.
“It makes me nauseous just thinking about it,” Wilson said. Junior Quinn Wilson’s
After 11 months recovery with a required brace for walking, the surgery left many
surgery left Wilson with even legs and a permanent scar. permanent scars on her
legs. She no longer lets
them bother her.
photo by taylor PARKER
8 December 18, 2009 photo story

8
7
days until
days until
kwanza Below: Freshman Macrae Ashwood hangs the ornaments on his
brightly lit Christmas tree.

christmas Below: Seniors Kelly Schaibly and

Kelly Hoinski get together to make
Christmas cookies at seniors Shelby and
Torey Deimling’s house. Below right: To stay
warm during the season, senior Karah Ley sips on a Double
Teddy Bear from Biggby’s.

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photo story by TAYLOR PARKER

 9 December 18, 2009
WORD VOMIT
by kerry MORRIS
The boys locker room is
filled with the junior var-
sity football team, all get-
ting ready for a brutal day
of practice. The rustling of
pads and the clicking of
cleats is interrupted by the
low murmurs of two sopho-
more boys in an argument.
Teammates Johnny
LaRosa and Matt Lammers
get in a playful yet semi-se-
rious word fight.
“You’re so stupid,” LaRo-
sa said.
Lammers looked at him
and yelled out, “Care!”
LaRosa rolled his eyes
and, in annoyance to the
overused word, mocked
back, “Chair!”
And so began the uproar
of the word ‘chair’ in the
sophomore grade.
“I hate that (word), it’s
so dumb,” junior Anthony
Parker said about the new
addition, chair. “What’s
the point?”
Starting with the seniors
of 2009, the phrase start-
ed as, ‘I care.’ After they
graduated, the current se-
niors revised it into “care,”
and later, the sophomores
changed it to “chair.”
Senior Kelsey Hirn hates
it when people use “care”
as well as “legit,” a word
that made its teenage jar-
gon debut this summer.
“I used them in the
feature
photo and photo
illustration by
andrew BEAUMAN
beginning but people over-
do it too much now,” Hirn
said.
Along with this new frus-
tration-inducing expres-
sion, English teacher Steph-
anie Livingston pointed out
other terms students use
that she cannot stand. Liv-
ingston particularly hates
when students use the term
“LOL” in an actual sen-
tence.
“Actually laugh out loud
like a human,” Livingston
said.
However, Livingston has
picked up on past popular
words and has found her-
self using phrases such as
“rattle” and “jacked up.”
“I’ve used ‘rattle’ to a
student before,” Livingston
said. “It makes sense.”
As shown by students
like LaRosa and Lammers,
teenagers seem to have an
ever-expanding vocabu-
lary. Each year brings a dif-
ferent generation and op-
portunities for new words
and phrases to arise.
10 December 18, 2009 feature

Wrap-Up...
January 20th

the
January 15th February 18th
Flight 1549 safely President Barack Obama Photos of Michael
by kat SMITH crashes in the is inaugurated into Phelps smoking mari-
Hudson River. presidential office. juana surface.

April 6th
Michigan State
vs. North Carolina
men’s basketball
championship
game. MSU loses.
My Worst Gift Ever
sity basketball
beats DeWitt.
11th Haslett
December

boys var-

“I got a can of spinach

memorable.”
it’s my last year is pretty
school this year knowing
“Waking up every day for
“[I got] a pin case for

-Meagan Lesperance, senior

by liz RINGLEIN
from my grandma. I and shelby WOOD collecting pins and I
was six [years old] and I don’t collect pins so it
Tiger Woods’ infi-
November 27th

delity is brought

asked her for Star Wars was random to me. It

Legos and all I got from “A beef jerky was from my grandpar-
her was spinach, which I maker from my ents.”
to light.

think is still in my pan- brother Max.” -Alex DeRose, junior

try.” -Joshua Regan,
-Neil Beukema, senior junior “Rollerblades,
November 7th
U.S. unemploy-
ment rate hits

the highest in

because I

killing 228 people.

the Atlantic Ocean begins!
447 crashes into
Air France flight
June 1st
10.2 percent,

never learned
26 years.

to skate. I
believe they
were from my
Shooting at Fort

parents.”
Hood. 12 killed,
November 5th

31 wounded.

-Joe Smith,

Summer vacation
June 5th
sophomore

“The worst gift I ever got “[I got] a magnet of my

was a gift card. What made name from my great
State Univer-
October 3rd

University of

it so bad was when I went

sity football
team beats

aunt that was spelled

Michigan.
Michigan

to use it, I found out it ex-

global pandemic. Fawcett’s

labeled as a
Swine flu (H1N1) Michael Jack- and the Half-
June 11th
wrong.”
pired three months before. -Kelly Brown, junior
It was from my old neigh-
bors. I never told them.”
myself which is nice. Also, I went to runaway child is
found hiding at
Hot air balloon
“My brother and sister both moving October 15th

-Lauren Ezzo, senior “I got a Barbie doll

like three years ago.
home.

death.

son and Farrah Blood Prince

June 25th
“A book about organic It was from my par-
food from my grandma. I ents. They always
think I was 14 and it was joke around about
what they’re getting
nationals for gymnastics in June.”
out of our house. Now I have it to

because we usually eat

healthy so she wanted me me so they finally
went to Toys R Us
theaters.
comes to

Harry Potter
July 15th
to like organic food. I lost
it in about an hour.” and got a Barbie
-Katie Harris, freshman

-Anthony Hodge, senior doll (without Ken). I

threw it away.”
-Zach Bepler, soph-
was a nice surprise.”
scholarships I wanted so it
of a practice for other
expect to win, it was more
People scholarship. I didn’t
nation for the People to
“Getting second in the

omore
-Dave Sheets, junior

photo and photo illustration by andrew BEAUMAN

Nobel Peace Prize. Video Music Awards. May 15th.

Obama wins the death. with Taylor Swift over year begins. announcing their reunion tour
President Barack Patrick Swayze’s Kanye West’s fallout 2009-2010 Haslett school Blink-182 plays in Detroit after
October 9th September 14th September 13th September 8th August 22nd
11 December 18, 2009 sports
Club volleyball: making it happen

by shane HESTON
Senior Robby Williamson
never really played volley-
ball until his sophomore year
when he didn’t have a fifth
hour class and vice principal
Darin Ferguson put him in
volleyball class. After playing
that year, Williamson fell in
love with the game.
“I joined the volleyball club
“
team because I’m good at vol- “I wanted to make this club
leyball,” Stockwell said. because of all the interest in
The club will likely be di- my class.”
vided into two teams. Stock- Terres has had success in We have
well said at least one of the the past. A couple years ago, some good
teams will be very successful. she led her volleyball squad
“The A team will be solid. to second place in a Michigan people, but
But the B team, not so much,” tournament. if we play as
Stockwell said. “We won a quite large tro-
Stockwell’s intense game phy,” Terres said. “We still a team, we
play has him excited for the should be

because I have enjoyed vol-
leyball since the tenth grade,”
said Williamson. “We have
some good people, but if we
play as a team, we should be
good.”
Many factors could prevent
the club from forming but one
concern dominates the rest.
“There could only be one
problem,” Williamson said.
“There might not be enough
opponents for us to play.”
Another player interested in
joining the club is junior Tim
Stockwell.
“I want to be part of this
games and the tournaments.
“I am very excited and hap-
py...for the tournaments,”
Stockwell said.
Gym teacher Patricia Terres
is the creator of the club. She
set up a volleyball meeting in
early December to determine
how many kids were interest-
ed. 23 boys showed interest in
joining.
Terres will be holding an-
other meeting on Jan. 6 for
any newcomers.
“As of right now, we’re in
the baby steps of making this
actually happen,” Terres said.
”
have this trophy to this day.”
Two years ago, Terres tried
to set up a team but was un- good.”
successful. “I sent emails to
schools in the area and they –Robby Williamson,
never got back to me on it,” senior
Terres said.
Terres has an ideal plan for
the volleyball club, but has a
back-up in the event that the
first one doesn’t pan out. Junior Tim Stockwell goes
“Plan A is finding people up for a spike during fourth
who would want to play in the hour volleyball class.
tournaments. Then finding the
opponents to play against,”
Terres said. “If that doesn’t
work, we go to plan B, which
is just intramurals.” photo by taylor PARKER

How the Lions can be a winning team

As time wound down for the Detroit Lions dur-
ing the Pittsburgh Steelers game, it looked as if Detroit
would score and possibly tie the game with a two-point
conversion. There’s 1:54 left on the clock and Detroit
is on the Pittsburgh 21-yard line. In 31 seconds, Detroit
is sacked three times and loses 24 yards and ends up
losing the game.
This is a normal situation for Lions football and
fans are sick and tired of watching this kind of game
by jerry play every year. I know I’m sick of watching them.
EASTWOOD Every Sunday I turn on the TV and watch. Usually,
they start off strong, having a touchdown or field goal in their first
possession. And then things fall apart.
The sad thing is this hasn’t gone on for one or two years. This
has gone on for almost eight years, nearly half my life. Since 2001,
the Lions are a league worst 33-108. This has led to Detroit having
10 or more losses in seven of the past eight years and finishing last in
the NFC North for five of the past eight years, soon to be six of nine.
But as big as these problems are, the main reason for their
failure is on the front office for not drafting the franchise changing
player and not spending any money to improve the team.
The first problem is with the draft. In the NFL, it is critical to
build your team through the draft. Look at the best teams in the
league (Colts, Saints and Vikings) and you’ll notice most of the
players on their team are players the team drafted. From 2002 to
2006, the Lions have drafted 39 players. Of those 39, only two play-
ers remain on the roster. During that period, the Lions had five first
round picks and Sims is the only one that remains from that time.
Also, Detroit hasn’t realized that offense isn’t the way to win cham-
pionships. Since 1999, Detroit has had 14 first round draft picks and
12 of those picks were picked on the offensive side of the football.
As you can see, the results have proven to be awful.
After the draft woes for Detroit, another problem is its unwill-
ingness to spend money in free agency-where hundreds of players
are free to sign with the team of their choice-to improve their team.
Look at the team’s history from year to year and you’ll see the
big names they bypassed. In 2006, the Lions didn’t make an effort
to sign quarterback Drew Brees. During the 2007 season, Detroit
didn’t make offers to linebackers Adalius Thomas, London Fletcher
and Joey Porter and cornerback Nate Clements. In 2008, The Lions
didn’t attempt to go for offensive guard Alan Faneca, cornerback
Asante Samuel or running back Michael Turner. During this off-
season, after the Lions finished last in total defense for the second
straight year, Detroit didn’t make it a priority to go after defensive
tackle Albert Haynesworth, linebackers Bart Scott and Michael Bol-
ey and safety Jim Leonhard. The Lions’ lack of motivation to spend
money has caused a major setback in Detroit.
If you watch the Lions play this season, you will see signs of
progress. Detroit has got a good young core on both sides of the
ball. Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford has shown the NFL arm
scouts loved when he was at the NFL combine but must improve
his accuracy. Stafford has missed open receivers down the field on a
constant basis and has already thrown 20 interceptions in 10 career
starts. Along with Stafford, the offense is led by running back Kevin
Smith and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. On the defensive side,
rookie safety Louis Delmas is second in tackles for the team and
veteran linebacker Larry Foote taken on the leadership role and has
helped develop rookie linebacker DeAndre Levy, who is third on
the team with tackles. Along with the players, the Lions hired Jim
Schwartz. Schwartz, the former defensive coordinator for the Ten-
nessee Titans, has helped Detroit get their first win in 21 months.
Schwartz is a hard-nosed coach who expects nothing more than 100
percent effort on the field. But it finally seems Detroit has shown
some progression with the players and their coaches.
If the Lions want to get better, when the draft comes around in
April of 2010, they must go one of two ways: either establish a pres-
ence on the offensive line or defensive line. Detroit will likely end
up getting a top five draft pick and this is the year of top-notch de-
fensive linemen. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska
has been considered the best player in college football this season
and has been a dominant force. Also, in this year’s draft is Oklaho-
ma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and the pass rushing defensive
end Derrick Morgan out of Georgia Tech. The other way Detroit
can go is by establishing a more effective offensive line. Now, they
drafted right tackle Gosder Cherilus two seasons ago and that is
a start. But they need to add more to the line. The best offensive
lineman in this year’s class is senior left tackle Russell Okung out of
Oklahoma State, who is the best pass blocker in the draft, a position
the Lions desperately need to fill. Other key linemen include Trent
Williams out of Oklahoma and Anthony Davis out of Rutgers.
So, my fellow Lion fans, I think there is hope. In four or five
years we could be a team to reckon with. I’m not saying that they
will be a Super Bowl caliber team, but they’ll be a team you can
watch and enjoy. The Lions have young players who will be domi-
nant in years to come and a hard-nosed coach who will take no
excuses for losing. We’re all tired of losing and the losing may
continue for another year or so. But if the Lions want to spend the
money, go for an offensive or defensive lineman in this draft and
bring in another leader for the defensive side of the football, you
will see much improvement in Detroit’s gameplay.

Gymnastics Wrestling
Scoreboard

Boys Basketball “We should be really good; we “[Our season] will be decent,
“Got a lot of talent. A lot back want to go to states and win.” once we get our starters
in the conference. Lots of good back. But our practices and
competition in the area.” - Taylor Mitchell, senior determination are good.” Hockey
Girls Basketball Boys Swimming
“[The season] is going great. We “It’s nice to have a full team
“Should come out as league
- David Kaye, senior - Brian Norris, senior again, now we just have to start
are improving every game and champs. Dual Meet-wise we
we are going up.” working better together.”
should be undefeated.”

- Jessica Tyrer, sophomore - Josh Headley, senior

- Peter Sherman, junior
 2
12 December 18, 2009 back of the boat

yrotS yrevE ot sediS Sides to Every Story

by casey VANDENBERG by kerry MORRIS

What do you love so much about “Twilight?” Why do you love Call of Duty so much?
“The story in general and the characters. I wish I knew all of “I don’t love it, but I do like it a lot because it’s so realistic.”
them.”
Has it ever affected your social life?
How has your obsession “I don’t think so, because I don’t
affected your social life? play it on the weekends and
“Everyone thinks I’m a there isn’t really anything
freak, and everything I to do with my friends
talk about has to do with or anything when I get
Twilight or New Moon.” home from school and
stuff.”
Did you see New Moon
the night it came out? Did you skip school to
What time did you get play it the first day it
there? came out?
“We got there at 6. We “No, my mom
were close to being the wouldn’t let me miss
first ones there.” school even if I was
on my death bed. So
Did you dress if I even tried to
up? miss it for a video
“We wore New game, then she
Moon shirts. We were go- would kill me.”
ing to wear caps on our
teeth, but we couldn’t How much time do
find them.” you spend on it?
“It’s different each
How many times have day but I would say a
you seen the movies pretty good amount
and read the books? just because there’s
“I would say Twilight, I’ve seen over 20 nothing to do when I get
times for sure, and I’ve seen New Moon home.”
twice. I’ve read all of the books once,
and I’m reading Eclipse again right Did you wait in line for it?
now.” “Yeah, I went to the mall at midnight
and met up with a few other people and
Are you Team Jacob or Ed- the wait was only like a half hour.”
ward?
“I tell everybody I’m Team What’s your favorite one?
EdCob.” “The newest one for sure, be-
Samantha Solomon, senior photos by taylor PARKER Matt Brook, junior
cause it’s the best.”
photo illustration by andrew BEAUMAN

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