1. education
2. school

B5
A3
AASA Performance
Friday
March 20,
2015
Reviews with Ryan
B1
Q&A with Tyler
Brooks
The Perspective
Free
2014-2015
No. 6
Serving the students and staff of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park
Ty Traylor crowned first Mr. Park
Photo by Emily Finn
Photo by Howard Zhang
It’s official: Ty Traylor, Salem senior, is Mr. Park.
Traylor was crowned Saturday night following a
pageant that Congress members hope will become
an annual event.
Plymouth senior Austin Fisher was first runner
up and Canton junior Joon Park was second
runner up. “I’m grateful, I’m excited and I want
to thank all the contestants that came here today.
They made it a great show. I’d like to thank Mr.
Suffety, everybody at Salem, all the Congress
students who made this possible, and my family,”
said Traylor.
All three of The Park’s Congresses put on the
event. “We actually had a few Congress members
propose the idea a couple years ago and we thought
it was really cool so we put it into action,” said
Alayna Schwartz, a Salem senior Congress member
and chair for the Mr. Park pageant.
“It was pretty stressful putting it together
because it’s the first year and such a large event
but working with the other schools really helped
so we could spread out all the work,” said Annie
Patterson, Salem junior and Congress member.
“We definitely hope this will become an annual
tradition. The trophy that we have has 12 name
slots on it. We hope it will be successful so it can
continue on,” said Greta Nameti, Salem senior and
Congress member.
The event sold out and filled over 330 seats
Photo by Howard Zhang
By Emily Finn
News Editor
after the first 20 minutes of opening the doors last
what they got. I think this being the first Mr. Park
Saturday in Canton’s DuBois Little Theatre. “My
ever, we need someone who can really bring some
soccer team was all planning on going together
skill to the table and can really relate to all students
and when I got there, they said there wasn’t enough at The Park.”
room! I think they should have had it in Salem
Abundis agreed, and said that a future Mr. Park
where there is more seating,” said Canton senior
should be “someone who has a lot of pride in their
Chloe Donlin.
school. Someone to look up to.”
Hundreds of student spectators were turned
Before all of the evening’s festivities, some
away at the ticket table because demand was too
contestants had interesting means of submitting
great for the full house of supporters for each
their applications to compete in the pageant. First
of the ten junior and senior contestants. Logan
runner up to Mr. Park, Austin Fisher, said, “My
Luttrell, Noah Adams, Syed Arbab, Joon Park,
girlfriend tricked me into doing this. She brought
Fahad Karim, Sean Meagher, Jonah Hohner, Ali
me to this meeting and she was like, ‘Oh this is an
Ghannam, Austin Fisher and Ty Traylor were
important meeting’ and everything and it turns out
this year’s contestants representative of each of
it was for Mr. Park. She even stole my wallet to get
their respective schools. Three portions of the
my student ID.”
competition, talent, on-stage question, and school
Logan Luttrell, a Plymouth senior contestant,
said, “Connor Theodorakakos and Kevin Justice
spirit, “weren’t nearly enough to show off the great
signed me up for this and didn’t decide to tell me
qualities of all of these young men,” said Plymouth
until two weeks later.”
senior Jacob Kennedy.
In the middle of the spirit portion of the
Kennedy and Salem senior Brayden Abundis
competition, Luttrell walked off of the stage
were the Masters of Ceremony. After the pair
and into the audience to perform the Plymouth
cracked jokes, rapped and even danced, Salem
Wildcats cheer. Canton senior contestant Syed
senior Tyler Brooks said, “They were more
Arbab did a spin off to another popular chant and
entertaining than some of the contestants.”
cheered, “I Believe That We Will Win.”
Kennedy said, “I am definitely excited to see
During the questionnaire round, each
what these contestants have to offer. I know a lot of
these guys have been practicing for a while and I’m contestant was given 20 seconds to answer a
completely on the spot question on topics ranging
really excited to get out there and show everyone
from how the contestant would propose to lower
the parking pass prices to “Where’s Waldo?”.
Canton senior contestant Noah Adams said, “I
am most excited for the talent portion. Everybody
here has a lot of great talent.” Some contestants
performed musically, playing the piano and
singing, and others had more unique talents like
interpretive dance and spoken word.
“My favorite part of the competition was talent,”
said Keli Orsborn, art teacher at Salem and one of
the three judges. “I was wowed by it. I was shocked
that some of them had the nerve to go on stage and
do that. It was fabulous.”
“I was looking for if [the contestants] were
engaging with the audience, if they were fun, if
they made me laugh, if they were witty, just all
around fun to watch,” said judge Libby Kryskowski,
an English teacher at Plymouth.
Judge Larry Francis, an English teacher at
Canton, said, “I was looking to see if the person
had a genuine talent that they brought forth, and I
thought a lot of them did.”
The judges’ votes weren’t the only ones that
mattered; every student had an opportunity to send
a text message to vote for their favorite contestant
at the end of all three portions of the competition.
Challenge Day charges up P-CEP
It’s not often that a school event makes an exceptional emotional
impact, or even registers a positive response from the student body.
But during a few powerful days in mid-March, a scene unfolded
at each of the three schools: students and faculty breaking down
barriers and bonding with each other in ways never thought possible.
Challenge Day is an event that aims to promote positive changes
in schools across the nation. Seeking to create an atmosphere of
acceptance, the coordinators behind Challenge Day share a vision
that “every child lives in a world where they feel safe, loved and
celebrated.” Participants are pushed to step out of their comfort
zone by partaking in games and trust building activities specifically
designed to open their hearts and help them form connections with
others.
“Probably everyone there, including myself, only went so they
could miss school, but it was so incredible to see the change in hearts
as the day went by,”
said Salem junior
Maddie Leyden. “By
the end, everyone was
crying.”
According to
Leyden, in one of
the more popular
activities, participants
“walked across
tape on the floor
if a situation read
by the leaders
applied to you. It
was so humbling
and encouraging
to see that every
problem you were
going through,
someone else was
going through it
too. There wasn’t a
single category that
someone walked
across the line alone on.”
Trauer Rouse, a Plymouth sophomore, said that it was his favorite
part about Challenge Day. “It was really eye opening, learning so
much about other people.”
“It’s very hidden; that’s
kind of where the issue
is,” said Hopper regarding
some of the challenges
students face. “It’s not
talked about, it’s not
prevalent, not really
addressed, and sometimes
ignored. The idea of
Challenge Day is to get
people to talk about things
they don’t normally talk
about.”
Photo by Howard Zhang
Far left: Salem senior Ty Traylor wins first
Mr. Park pageant. Top left: Ty Traylor, Jonah Hohner, Sean Meagher, Ali Ghannam,
Austin Fisher, Noah Adams, Joon Park, Fahad Karim, Logan Luttrell and Syed Arbab
compete in Mr. Park pageant; Brayden
Abundis and Jake Kennedy emcee. Top
right: Logan Luttrell draws his bow during
the talent portion. Left: Jake Kennedy and
Brayden Abundis win over the crowd with
jokes and rapping skills.
By Andrew Withers and Kirsty McInnes
Feature Editors
Plymouth senior Ethan Hopper,
one of the organizers of the
Plymouth High School Challenge
Day, saw the day as an opportunity
to make a positive change in his
school. “Every year, the school
makes a school improvement plan.
That’s basically anything they can
do to make the school better,” said
Hopper. “Challenge Day was one
of those things.”
“The school wanted to have
Challenge Day to change how
students address other students,”
said Plymouth Principal Cheri
Steckel. “We want to promote
respect.”
Respect can be an important
theme to emphasize in high school
environments, where individual
struggles and issues are sometimes
overlooked. These issues can
Photos by Kirtsy McInnes and Andrew Withers
range from things like stress and
Challenge Day participants share a close moment.
academic pressure to problems at
one of the leaders of the Challenge Day activities, said that the effect
home and troubled relationships.
on schools is always noticeable, but not usually quantifiable. “Schools
“It’s very hidden; that’s kind of where the issue is,” said Hopper
have reported better environments and have found that students
regarding some of the challenges students face. “It’s not talked about,
appreciated a difference in the hallways,” Heinze said. “The feedback
it’s not prevalent, not really addressed, and sometimes ignored. The
is wonderful; people always feel better about themselves after.”
idea of Challenge Day is to get people to talk about things they don’t
Rebecca Kraft, the main coordinator of the Plymouth High School
normally talk about.”
Challenge Day, cited the event’s successes in other schools as one
Canton senior Timothy Sweet agreed, saying that “everyone’s issue reason for bringing it to P-CEP. “Some districts who have looked at
is different. What some people might think is a minor problem could the number of discipline incidents have reported a lower number of
be the end of the world to me.”
student-to-student conflicts as well as student-to-faculty conflict,”
The student response to Challenge Day was overwhelmingly
said Kraft. “You have the faculty participating in the Challenge Day.
positive. “It was life changing,” said Plymouth sophomore Jimmy
They’re sharing their personal experiences too.”
Rubio. “You wouldn’t expect it from a school event, but it was really
With so many positive reactions from both faculty and students,
deep.”
Steckel is hopeful that the turnout for future Challenge Days will only
Plymouth sophomore Binyah Howard agreed, saying he would
increase. “This was the first year, so people didn’t really know what it
“view life differently now. I no longer look at people and judge
was about. If we bring it back, based on the kids who left loving the
them.” Howard said he expected Challenge Day to “change the entire
event, more kids will want to participate.”
population of the school.”
Plymouth senior Breah Carolan said, “This was the best
Organizers of the event are confident that its lessons will stick
experience of my life. Everyone should participate in Challenge Day.”
with students and continue to cause positive change. Chris Heinze,
A2 News
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
New union contract draws criticism from teachers
By Brian Kuang
Co-Opinion Editor
A new agreement between the teachers’ union
and the district will raise teacher salaries in the
district for the first time in at least four years. For
many teachers this will be their first raise in as
many as seven years.
According to the tentative agreement between
the Plymouth Canton Education Association
(PCEA) and the school district that is expected
to last to August 2015, all teachers will have their
salaries increased by a half-step and the top step
will increase by 0.5 percent. This is roughly equal
to a $1,200 increase in the annual salary of each
teacher. In exchange, teachers will be expected to
give back half a day’s salary.
To ensure that experienced teachers are paid
more, teacher salaries are normally increased by
a whole step on the pay scale per year. However,
no teachers have seen a step-increase in their pay
since 2011, and many senior teachers have not had
any raise since 2008.
“I’ve been bargaining [teacher contracts] for a
few years, and times have been tough,” said PCEA
President and former teacher Bob Williams. “Political times are scary regarding school funding.”
Williams optimistically added that “For the past
two years we had to give and get nothing [in negotiations]; this year we can get something in return
[from the district].”
However, Williams also pointed out that this
was a one-time, partial increase in pay and did not
necessarily mean that the district would return to
the regular pay schedule for teachers.
Despite 74 percent of teachers in the district
voting in favor, the new agreement has not been
immune to criticism. Overall, 42 percent of P-CEP
teachers were opposed. Notable pockets of dissent
included Plymouth as well as Eriksson and Smith
elementary schools, where 61 percent, 55 percent
and 54 percent of teachers voted against approving
the contract, respectively.
A number of teachers, who did not wish to be
named, expressed frustration with the current
environment of school funding and the new agreement. Many teachers echoed Williams’ concerns
that this was not a permanent restoration to the
normal pay schedule, feeling that this was essentially a concession to the district.
In addition, a number expressed anxiety over
the fact that the pay scale would be up for renegotiation after the expiration of the agreement
in August, meaning that the district could possibly
negate the teachers’ relatively small pay increase by
lowering the pay at each step in a future agreement, as was done in a 2011 agreement.
The PCCS administration expressed a desire to
raise salaries more, but noted significant financial
obstacles. The district is expected to run a $5 million deficit for the 2015-2016 school year, and the
raises stipulated in the agreement will cost about
$915,000.
“Although we are not in the financial position
that allows us to fund a full step during this agreement, we believe that overall this agreement is
heading in a positive direction,” said Monica Merritt, Assistant Superintendent of Labor Relations.
“We are committed to exploring revenue enhancing opportunities that will allow us to stabilize our
budget shortfalls in order to continue providing
high quality instruction to our students while
compensating our teachers fairly.”
Merritt warned of the costs of failing to provide
competitive compensation to teachers, stating that
“Our teachers are valued as the backbone of this
organization [but] due to poor economic conditions in public schools, we are losing dedicated
members of this profession statewide.”
P-CEP DECA heads to states
By Alyce Krumm
Editor-in-Chief
P-CEP students had the opportunity last weekend to head to DECA states to compete against
other schools from across Michigan in a variety of
business categories. “The state competition get so
much harder and it’s no longer just your district,
it’s more than 4,000 kids, luckily my partner and I
were called on stage and received an award for out
second award” said Rachel Duprey Salem senior.
More than 95 students went to compete in the
state competition in Grand Rapids and brought
home any awards in a variety of events. “ The
students who made it to states were among the
best marketing program students at the Park. “I
have learned so much more than I thought i would
in DECA, Kayla Sager and I were in hospitality
services TDM. Which allowed us to work together
as a team in our role plays and even present them
to a judge together” Duprey added. The DECA
program helps students to grow in their leadership and speaking skills, along with getting them
competition experience, all of which they can use
in the real world after high school.
“Being a part of DECA has been such an amazing and rewarding experience. DECA prepares
students for real life business scenarios and not
only helps with public speaking skills but prepares
you for future jobs,” said Canton senior Madison
Santori.
4,000 DECA members attended the state
conference and had the experience of competing
at the state level. Throughout the weekend Grand
Rapids was crawling with high school students,
who wanted the opportunity to move on to the
national conference which takes place in Orlando.
No DECA members from P-CEP made it to
nationals but the organization had many finalists
in a variety of events. “Although we didn’t make it
to nationals, my partner and I were state finalists in the business law and ethics event, we were
so excited to get this far and I am so glad to have
received this great opportunity to be a member
of DECA the last two years, and I am sad that my
membership has to come to an end,” said Hanna
Reinhart, Canton senior.
The competition also provided members with
an opportunity to network with other businessminded students. “It gives you the opportunity to
meet so many people from all across the state of
Michigan who have similar interests in business
and communications,” said Santori.
Photo by: Stephanie Langa
Photo courtesy of Rachel Duprey
Photo courtesy of Alyce Krumm
Photo by Madison Santori
Top left: Hanna Reinhart, and Stephanie Langa Bottom left: Madison Santori, Hanna
Reinhart, Alyce Krumm, and Stephanie Langa Right: Rachel Duprey, and Kayla Sager.
Spread the word to end the word
Dictionaries, thesauruses, Google and more.
There are so many resources
students can use to find new words to use in
everyday vocabulary, so why is the dreaded r-word
still used? Spread the Word to End the Word is a
national campaign that is striving to eliminate the
use of the word “retarded.” P-CEP is taking a step
toward changing the future by participating in the
campaign.
On March 10, 11, and 12, P-CEP’s HSE class
went to all three schools at lunch with a poster for
people to sign pledging that they would no longer
use the r-word and had a bake sale to raise money
to go to Special Olympics.
Andrea Dobson, a Salem junior who is a part
of HSE, said, “I think the campaign helps people
By Mesa Marks
Copy Editor
understand that these kids are people too and that
they just want to fit in.”
Although Spread the Word to End the Word is
mainly focusing on the r-word, other words may
be considered offensive when used in certain contexts and the group wants to spread awareness.
Lisa Benages, Plymouth HSE teacher said, “It
[Spread the Word to End the Word] covers any
word or phrase where more respect is needed.”
PCEP’s Spread the Word to End the Word successfully raised $1,486 from their bake sale alone.
Basement Burger Bar took part in raising money
as well, from March 9 - 13 ten percent of all sales
went toward the cause. The money from Basement
Burger Bar and P-CEP’s bake sales will go toward
the Special Olympics.
Source: PCEA
Image credit: Brian Kuang
Although the district’s teachers voted in favor of the agreement, a significant minority were opposed; 42 percent
voted against, with 61 percent of Plymouth teachers opposed.
$39,954
Approximate salary of a first-year
teacher with a BA hired in 2012
$41,111
Approximate salary of the same
teacher under the new agreement
$44,582
Approximate salary if pay moved
along the step system regularly
Source: PCEA contract
A3 News
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
AASA program prompts
discussion on race
Friday, March 6 marked
the African-American Student
Association’s (AASA) annual
assembly in honor of February’s
black history month. The assembly, which focused on the main
idea of “continuing the conversation,” contained a variety of
performances, including P-CEP’s
Step Team, Spoken Word pieces
and videos documenting different polls taken at the Park.
Instead of rotating around
the history of black culture, the
members of the AASA directed
the conversation towards students and teachers. There were
parts such as “The N Word,”
a poem talking about biracial
hardships, and “I’m Black and
I’m beautiful.” Throughout the
event, students and teachers
were encouraged to critically
think about race issues in their
lives and within the school
environment. Considering all
the statistics presented at the
assembly, such as “when asked if
their peers would be interested
in learning more about different ethnicities and cultures
throughout the curriculum, 36
percent believed that students
would be interested; 40 percent
believed that students wouldn’t
be interested; 24 percent were
unsure” students need help with
doing this.
“Just to try to breach beyond
your own reach of understanding; a lot of people think they
know things about different
ethnicities, and races, but they
don’t. It’s really not on us to
teach you about it, you have to
reach out on your own to grasp
that understanding so we can
all understand how each other
feels and we can work better to
get better as a community,” said
Demi White, Vice President of
the AASA.
Amanda Bates, president of
AASA, said, “Our goal was to
show everybody at P-CEP our
perspective on race and to give
all the students a better [in]
general look on other people’s
perspective, both teachers and
students.”
“This show was a collective
effort of students coming together and sharing their perspectives
on race relations here at the Park
and in their community, how we
feel, how some things are good,
some things need to be changed.
Everybody was great for coming
out [today] and doing what they
did. I’m so proud of everyone
for being here,” said Ty Traylor,
head of Communications and
Resources for the AASA.
Photos by Ryann Castleman
By Ryann Castleman
Managing Editor
The Step Team performs at AASA.
AASA takes a bow at the end of the performance.
“...you have to
reach out on your
own to grasp that
understanding
so we can all
understand how
each other feels
and we can work
better to get better
as a community.”
World renowned composer visits P-CEP band
By Emmanuel Jones
Co-News Editor
The world renowned band program here at P-CEP just got a little
more experience. Award-winning composer and director Frank
Ticheli, creator of countless orchestra and concert band music,
arrived to the band room on Feb. 27 to direct the Wind ensemble
through a performance of his 2011 piece, “Rest.”
Ticheli was in town to be a guest conductor for The Michigan
Philharmonic’s “Pipe Dreams” show on Sunday, March 1. But before
the show he made a visit to the well known band program here at
P-CEP.
David Armbruster, director of bands, said, “The fact that he
wanted to come here and teach our bands was very flattering. On
arrival Mr. Ticheli said to the kids that they are very fortunate to be
a part of a program that is this well established and has this much
support.”
Other guest composers have helped and influenced the band
on many occasions since the band doors opened in the winter of
1994, but throughout the years no composer has had such a musical impact as that of Frank Ticheli. One of the first pieces the band
debuted was “Amazing Grace” arraigned by Frank Ticheli for Dr.
John Witwell, but Ticheli has not been through those doors in the
past decade.
“You could feel the electricity that he brought with him, when he
walked into the room. When teaching the song, he even changed
some things, which is cool because he wrote the song. It was more
fun having the composer direct the song then just seeing his name
on the corner of your sheet music,” said Plymouth junior Paul Baptist.
“He is just a very positive person,” said Armbruster. “Some composers are not as positive and emotional as Mr. Ticheli is; he is truly
world renowned.”
Park Players Theatre Company presents:
Salem
High School
Gloria Logan
Auditorium
March
20, 21, 27,
and 28
At 7pm
Tickets
$12 at the
door
A4 Editorial
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
Daylight Savings Time: Let it die
Every spring we set clocks forward, every fall we set them back.
Like all traditions, daylight savings time might have started with
something meaningful, but today we only follow it because we can’t
remember a time when we did not. Clocks forward, clocks back.
Wash, rinse, repeat. There is no meaningful reason to have daylight
savings time in 2015.
Perhaps 100 years ago, it made sense. The creators of daylight
savings include William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of
Coldplay’s lead singer, who wanted more time in the evening to play
golf; George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist, who wanted more
time in the evening to collect bugs; and Germany, whose leaders
wanted more time in the evening to fight World War I.
So if you’re a fan of playing golf, collecting bugs or invading Europe, you should know that daylight savings time is there for you.
There were definitely other times in history that turning back the
clocks was useful for the United States, besides World War I. For
example, there was World War II. The U.S. adopted daylight savings
during both wars and abandoned it as soon as they ended. Some
states continued to use it, and when the country was hit with an oil
shortage in the seventies, saving daylight seemed like the perfect
way to save energy. The energy crisis of 1973 was, by the way, the
third and final time that daylight savings time may have been useful—though government studies done just three years later found
no evidence that daylight savings time actually saved the country
any energy.
Why do we still have daylight savings time? Tradition. While its
supporters offer plenty of arguments to defend messing with the
clocks—it saves electricity, reduces car accidents, makes tourists
stay up later and spend more money—none of these reasons (except
possibly the tourists) have any evidence to back them up. The U.S.
government has done study after study on the effects of daylight
savings, and none of those studies agree on whether it makes us
better off.
Of course, there’s plenty of evidence that daylight savings time
could kill you. According to a recent study from the University of
Colorado, when we changed our clocks this year we had a 25 percent higher chance of having a heart attack the Monday after. Other
researchers have found that higher suicide rates, less restful sleep
and a damaged circadian rhythm can all be traced to losing an hour
of our lives every spring. Traditions aren’t meant to last forever.
They can be silly, stupid or even harmful, and it’s times like those
that we have to let them go. Let daylight savings die.
MAILING ADDRESS
Plymouth High School
8400 North Beck Road
Canton, MI 48187
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Alyce Krumm
ONLINE EDITOR
Nick Blandford
MANAGING EDITOR
Ryann Castleman
MANAGING EDITORS NEWS
Emily Finn, Emmanuel Jones
MANAGING EDITORS OPINION
Brian Kuang, Donovan Sheehan
MANAGING EDITORS FEATURES
Andrew Withers, Kirsty McInnes
MANAGING EDITORS SPORTS
Hailey Foster, David Cook, Alex Mercurio
COPY EDITORS
Donovan Sheehan, Sydney Ortiz,
Ryann Castleman, Mesa Marks
BUSINESS MANAGER
Michelle Burke
DESIGN TEAM
Michelle Burke, Hailey Foster, Sydney Ortiz,
Nick Blandford, Eric Borg
PHOTO TEAM
Emily King, Mesa Marks, Michelle Burke
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Anna Lukens
STAFF WRITERS
Abby Desselles, Alex Mercurio, Allen Maxson, Alyce Krumm,
Andrew Withers, Anna Lukens, Brian Kuang, David Cook,
Donovan Sheehan, Emily Finn, Emily King, Emmanuel
Jones, Eric Borg, Hailey Foster, Kirsty McInnes, Matt Malinak,
Maurice Weston, Mesa Marks, Michelle Burke, Nick Blanford,
Reem Ameiche, Ryan Morelli, Ryann Castleman,
Sydney Ortiz, Taylor Heinrich
ADVISER
Leola Floren Gee
Have a question? Want to advertise?
Contact us: [email protected]
Mission Statement: The goal of the P-CEP Perspective
is to inform readers regarding issues and events that affect
them. The Perspective is a limited purpose public forum,
allowing students to express their ideas and opinions in
accordance with Plymouth-Canton Community Schools’
board policy. Student journalists may address matters of
concern and/or interest to their readers, and they have the
right to determine content. We encourage readers to voice
opinions by writing letters to the editor. We reserve the
right to edit letters for grammar, style, length and content
as deemed necessary.
Corrections: We will make every attempt to publish
corrections in the issue following publication of erroneous
materials. Corrections will include but are not limited to
misidentified individuals in photographs and errors of fact.
Please report errors to the staff via e-mail at the following
address and write “correction” in the subject line:
[email protected]
Editorial Cartoon by: Robyn Apley
Letters to the Editor
Students ungrateful in winter weather
Last week, there have been very many complaints among
students that we have not had a cold day, despite extremely cold
temperatures. Thankfully, our benevolent school district has sent
a thoughtful letter describing the process of deciding when to take
school off. Although it is fairly comprehensive, there are several
parts of the statement that may need clarification. For example,
by “as a district, our top priority and focus is on the safety and
well-being of our students,” the school means, “We are servants
of the evil South Pole Santa. We must see your suffering.” South
Pole Santa’s dark magic is run purely on the suffering of the good
children of America; therefore, our pain on these excruciatingly
cold days is necessary.
Later, the statement says, “we have a consistent and thorough
process as to how and when that decision is made.” By this, the
district means, “even though it is as cold as [insert colorful phrase
here] outside, we are going to have school.” Remember, this phrase
is only limited by one’s imagination; be creative!
The last sentence that may be unclear is, “if you wish to
provide any feedback on the above-mentioned system or would
like to share your ideas, our online Let’s Talk feedback and
communication system can be located here [url]. This is the best
place to make sure your voice gets heard!” which can be translated
as, “you can complain about your problems here, but we won’t
listen!” Many students get the feeling that just because the people
making the decisions are inside their homes with a room heater
and an electric blanket they can’t relate to us. How dare we think
such a thing!
Matthew Dottavio
Plymouth High School
Editor’s note: This letter was written last month, in
response to both the weather that could freeze the skin
off your fingers in ten minutes, and to the school district
that made us go to school anyway. Although the risk of
hypothermia has gone down lately, the district officials
who made the decision to send us out into the cold are
still here. It is the opinion of the editors that this letter is
timeless.
-Donovan Sheehan, Opinion Editor
Spring break stress Expelling expulsions
By Sydney Ortiz talks about it, it puts
pressure on everyone to
Copy Editor
look a certain way. But I
Spring
think
you shouldn’t have to
break is the
worry
about how you look
only thing
because
it’s supposed to be
getting me
a
time
to
relax and enjoy
through this
yourself,
”
said Valerie Lentine,
next month.
Canton
senior.
By this
There seems to be this
point, it feels like winter is never
pressure
for people to look
ending. All I really want is to be
a
certain
way just for spring
warm on a beach.
break.
It’s
especially felt through
However, spring break comes
media
and
advertising. And it
with its complications. Where
seems
to
be
mostly from girls.
should I go? Who should I
“I
definitely
think there’s a
go with? How am I going to
lot
of
pressure
because
every
ever pay for this? And most
magazine
has
‘how
to
get
that
importantly, how do I get that
spring
break
body’
and
even
spring break body? I’ve spent
today a girl was telling me that
months hiding underneath
she wasn’t ready for spring
winter coats and jeans. There
break because her body wasn’t
have been Thanksgiving and
good enough,” said Katie Olah,
Christmas holidays, and I
Canton senior.
feel like winter is a time to
Many girls feel that pressure.
eat everything. Spring break
Just
bring up spring break and
is almost like coming out of
the
girl
next to you is bound to
hibernation. I’m shedding my
say
something
about her body.
winter layers and now I have to
“I
feel
like
girls
are trying
look a certain way to go to the
to
impress
guys
and
other girls
beach with my friends.
more
because
girls
are
looked
But do I really need to?
at
in
the
movies
as
the
‘icons’ of
Do I really need to try and
spring
break;
to
be
super
skinny
lose 10 pounds and tone my
and
wear
a
little
bikini,
”
Lentine
entire body just for a week on
said.
the beach? I’m excited to be
“I seriously need to get this
warm and have my toes in the
spring
break bod but I like
sand. I’m excited for a week off
food
too
much for that!” Halle
school. I shouldn’t be trying
Mancuso
tweeted.
to change myself so much for
I
think
instead of worrying
a week in April. When you
about
your
body, people should
think about it, it starts to sound
enjoy
where
they’re going and
ridiculous. I’m going to Florida
who
they’re
with.
I’m ready
for seven days with my best
to
go
to
a
beach
with
my best
friends and that should be
friends
on
my
last
spring
break
enough. And it is! My friends
of
high
school.
I’m
also
ready
aren’t going to tell me that I
to go eat lunch and not worry
can’t come to the beach because
about my “spring break body.”
I don’t have the right body.
“I think because everyone
By Emmanuel Jones
violence to find a way to
Co-News Editor
In the
deal with their problems.
movie “Lean
Keeping children out of school
on Me,”
does not deal with the problem.
Morgan
The fault may not always lie
Freeman plays
with the student in question;
a principal
sometimes the fault lies with
who is
the school or the child’s family.
assigned to clean up a rundown
Society needs to fix the state of
and mostly African American
mind they have against soschool. One of his first actions
called “trouble kids” because I
is to expel all of the kids who
believe it’s cheaper to deal with
are labeled “bad” or “troubled
it earlier as opposed to building
children.” I have a problem
more prisons and morgues.
with this. If a child acting up
Many administrators may
in school gets in too much
believe that school is made only
trouble, the administrator
for learning and if a student is
must do something to help that
a huge disruption then school
child; it’s their job. In some
may not be the place for them.
instances, a repeat offender may
They believe that education is
need to be expelled; however,
given to students as long as they
throwing a child out of school
will accept it. Unruly children
is not a positive way to handle a
affect all other children at
problem. That “troublemaker”
the school and if they always
also has a right to obtain an
disrupt the learning process
education along with every
they should be removed.
other student.
People who disagree do have
Being expelled from school
one valid point, that education
can be devastating, throwing
is a privilege. However, if you
students’ and families’ lives into
are worried about students
turmoil. First of all, parents
undermining education,
might have to change their
why don’t you change
schedule to accommodate
their perception of certain
their child being expelled from
educational values? Make
school, which may lead to them
students appreciate what they
losing their jobs.
will get when they complete
Some kids might have
their education instead of
an option to go to a different
throwing them out, creating
school if they are expelled.
an educational gap within our
However, some students are
society. But the big question still
expelled with no educational
remains, how will students learn
options. Some students are so
how to be responsible if the
behind in school when they
adults in charge aren’t making
are expelled that they have no
responsible decisions?
way to catch up and will have
to drop out. They may turn
to drugs or a life of crime and
The Super Jess Five Kilometer (SJ5K)
By Ethan Hopper
nominations committee is selecting five
Guest Writer
honorees who will benefit from this year’s race.
The SJ5K began in 2011 on behalf of Jesse Lindlbauer, a Canton
student who suffered from a ruptured brain abscess which led to an
infection.
Canton Senior and National Honor Society Public Relations
Officer Amy Dalton is optimistic about this year’s race. “Hope.
Support. Community. These three words sum up the SJ5K for so
many reasons because without the community rallying for these
families, they would lack a very positive support system,” she
said. “Every runner makes a difference in these families’ lives. I
feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to coordinate the
5th annual SJ5K and make a difference in someone’s life and our
community.”
In addition to being the coordinator, Dalton supervises 16
seniors who work on various aspects of the SJ5K as their National
Honor Society senior Independent Service Project. Last year, 1,700
community members participated in the SJ5K, raising a recordbreaking $44,733. Registration began on Monday, March 16 on SJ5K.
org. The 5th annual SJ5K is on Sunday, May 3.
Fifth annual SJ5K set for May 3
A5 Op-Ed
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
Point/Counterpoint:
Does the Mr. Park Pageant objectify guys?
By Ryann Castleman
Managing Editor
Sexual objectification is
defined as, “a person made into
a thing for other’s sexual use,
either than seen as a person.”
There have been many debates
regarding whether or not
cheerleading, dance teams and
beauty pageants should be considered as sexual
objectification of women. But no one stops to
think whether they could be sexually objectifying
men.
With P-CEP’s 1st annual “Mr. Park” pageant
looming ever closer, some have considered that
this could be objectifying the boys here at school.
Is it, though? Absolutely not.
According to beautyrefined.net, “if a
pageant requires a ‘fitness’ competition
that demands you to strut your stuff
in heels and a bikini or one piece suit,
men would never, ever be required to
do that with a straight face.”
The “Mr. Park” competition doesn’t require
the boys in any way to wear revealing clothes or
take off their shirts. Even if they did, I seriously
doubt that the boys would do it in a serious
fashion. It would come with a lot of silly grinning
and laughing, faux flexing of the muscles and
pretending to be “girly,” i.e. stupid poses and
batting of the eyes.
Secondly, this is a voluntary competition.
Many women who religiously compete in beauty
competitions start at a young age, occasionally
pressured by their parents. They’ve learned that
they win or are noticed because of the way they
dress and look. By marketing this event as a
“dumb” or “silly” game, “Mr. Park” is playing
on the idea that women have to look pretty to
be noticed, and, in a way, is making fun of the
women who jump through hoops to be crowned.
Unless the boys entered the competition
because they were pressured by their parents,
or because they’ve done it their whole life, there
is no right to say that they are being objectified
when they’ve entered of their own free will. If the
competitors are uncomfortable with a portion of
the competition, they can quit.
“Mr. Park” has been advertised in a way
where both boys and girls can go without feeling
guilty, but standard women’s beauty pageants are
typically only viewed by other pageant women
and, of course, men. The fact that it is so widely
watched by only men should raise a few eyebrows,
but no one really seems to care those teen girls
(Miss Teen, USA) parade young, scantily clad
girls in front of old men for their pleasure. I don’t
see “Mr. Park” being viewed only by women,
so the fact remains that it won’t be only girls
drooling on the floor in front of the competitors,
but a room full of all different ages and genders
laughing together.
A common argument I’ve heard from those
opposed to “Mr. Park” is that there isn’t a “Ms.
Park,” so there is inequality between boys and
girls. My response to this buffoonery is that once
there are an equal number of professional male
beauty pageants in the world as there are female,
including a Mr. Teen USA and a Mr. Universe,
then you will have a valid point against “Mr.
Park.”
In case you don’t know the criteria of
an event that is sexually objectifying its
competitors, here’s a little three rule guide
for the future:
1. Are the competitors forced to wear
scantily clad clothing? And is it a make-itor-break-it part of the competition?
2. Does the competition have both male and
female counterparts? If not, could you see the
genders both taking the competition seriously if
they were in it?
3. If both genders did compete, would they
both wear the same types of uniforms? For
example, would both genders wear swimsuits?
4. EXTRA CREDIT: Does the event cater to
both male and female audiences?
Now that the criterion has been set, let’s take
a last look at “Mr. Park.” The competitors are not
forced to wear scantily clad clothing, and if they
don’t, it won’t hurt their chances of winning.
Because this is a play on female beauty pageants,
and I doubt the competitors are taking this
seriously. If both males and females competed,
I would bet they would have the same standard
dress code, and, lastly, this event does cater to
both male and female audiences.
Asking if “Mr. Park” is objectifying men is
like asking if we need a “white history month.”
The short answer is no. I’m not trying to say that
women who compete in beauty pageants are
docile and comply with society, because you go,
girls. A life motto should be “Good for you, but
not for me.” If that’s what empowers you, then
go after it. I’m also not saying that men are never
objectified. They are. All the time. Just watch
“Magic Mike” and you’ll see it. What I’m saying
is that “Mr. Park” doesn’t, hasn’t and will never
objectify men. End of story.
NO
By Andrew Withers
Co-Features Editor
Perhaps no other species
on planet Earth exhibits as
much diversity as humans
do. With a wealth of unique
cultures, faiths, appearances
and lifestyles, each individual human being is different from the next, sometimes by just a little, and
sometimes by a whole lot.
One thing is for sure, though: nobody has the
same set of traits and experiences as anyone else.
So doesn’t it seem a little shortsighted to take a
human being, a creature with so many varied
qualities, and assess its worth based on
one characteristic?
Critics of female beauty pageants
utilize these same arguments; that beauty
pageants turn females into objects to be
judged on a few features. Ironically, criticism of the Mr. Park Pageant for doing
just this has been conspicuously absent. Would a
proposed Ms. Park pageant have been received as
smoothly? This reduction of men’s worth is appalling and creates an unfair double standard between
genders that must be addressed.
At its most basic level, the Mr. Park pageant
subjects the physical and mental abilities of its
contestants to extreme scrutiny. It also projects
the tastes and views of the judges onto the participants, placing unfair pressure on the men to live
up to these expectations. From judging them on
their dance skills and knowledge to their school
spirit and talents, the competition is essentially
a showcase of acquired abilities and places little
to no importance on the contestants’ persona as
a whole. How is this any different from female
beauty pageants that attract so much criticism
from women’s rights activists for doing the exact
same things?
Secondly, the questionnaire inevitably quantifies each contestant as a score, rather than a
person. We all know how frustrating it can be to
have a parent, teacher, or even college view you
as merely a number on a test. This same principle
applies to the Mr. Park competition: the participants are lessened to a number, possibly the least
human thing there is.
The most objectification of all, however, would
seem to take place during the talent show. Any
time individuals are judged based on their “talents,” all other aspects of their character are disregarded, and their worth is based off of whether or
not they can find a way to please the audience.
Within the boundaries of the competition, the
types of talents deemed worthy are narrowed even
further: the talent must be performable on stage
and the judges must find it appealing. So much for
having a unique talent- with all of these parameters, the types of acceptable talents have been
severely limited.
Proponents of the pageant may contend that
because the competition is being done in good
humor, it does not carry the same stigma and
moral baggage as female beauty pageants. This
argument does not stand up under sustained criticism. The parallels between
the pageant and traditional female
contests are striking: an overbearing audience, unrealistically meticulous judges
and the crushing pressure to win even
when the playing field is uneven from
birth.
Even if the contest is merely a joke, making
light of the seriousness of the oppression of men
is disgusting.
Competitions like the Mr. Park male pageant
compartmentalize and evaluate certain parts of
men, rather than their whole character. Competitions like these undermine the legitimacy and
growing momentum of men’s rights movements.
YES
What to do when love is toxic
By Abby Desselles
Staff Writer
People will
constantly try getting
in relationships, but when is the time you should
leave one? There could be a multitude of reasons,
but condensing that list is a large feat. Today, I’m
going to point out some of the most important.
Like the pop song by Brittany Spears explains,
love can be “Toxic.”
1. Violence/Forced Intimacy
If your significant other ever hurts you, even once, you need to
stop seeing them. If someone truly loves you, they won’t even think
about hurting you, let alone do so.
Then there’s the issue of being forced to participate in intimate
acts. If they loved you, they would understand that you don’t want
to as well as when you’re not ready. No one should force you into
uncomfortable situations. If your happiness isn’t enough for them to
keep their hormones under check, then maybe it would be best to
find someone who thinks you’re their number one priority.
2. Controlling
Another way to force your will on someone is to try controlling
them. Does your significant other get angry if you don’t spend every
minute of your day with them? Do they always need to know where
you are and what you’re doing? Do they check your phone or your
bags looking for things you could be hiding? Honestly, this is what
someone who is too paranoid to date sounds like. This is a type of
relationship that will border stalking. Run.
3. Being Clingy
This is the person who will feel like they are attached to your hip.
They never want to leave you alone, and they seem to depend on you
for everything. You are literally the only thing that keeps this person
running. They get extremely jealous or upset if you don’t want to be
around them. There is a difference between clingy and controlling,
though; clingy is going to be like a pet owner that soothes their dog
too much, where controlling would be the pet owner that puts the
dog in the kennel. It is possible to change this type of behavior, but
it’s more a matter of helping them find something else to make them
happy or occupy their thoughts.
4. Cheating/Lying
OK, now this one is a heartbreaker for anyone in a serious
relationship. Communication and trust are violated when someone
lies or cheats. If you find them lying to you, even if it’s something
small, that also violates a crucial bond between people; what else are
Photo by Carol Isakson
they OK with lying to you about?
5. The Magic is Just Gone
This is your typical shallow break up, but if you don’t feel it, then
you don’t feel it. It’s actually sort of cruel to pretend you still like
the person. I’d rather someone end it if they just didn’t like me that
way anymore, wouldn’t you? If you find that the person is no longer
someone who makes you happy to be with, then why continue?
Talking it out can sometimes fix problems like this, but you need
to look at the situation and decide if you two would be better off
just separating for a while. If this break up goes well, then you can
actually rekindle it in the future if you both want to try again.
Relationships at their best are nice to have, but a relationship
should make both parties happy, not just one. Compromise will
always be demanded, especially as time goes on. If you want to make
one of these relationships above work, I won’t say it’s impossible, but
it may take a lot of work from yourself, others, and the person in
question too. In a relationship, sometimes compromise is necessary
from both parties. The above traits are mere warnings about
relationships that may take more effort than they’re worth.
A tale of two White Houses and two Americas
By Brian Kuang
Co-Opinion Editor
When the new season of
“House of Cards” was released
on Feb. 27 by Netflix, many
of us found ourselves curling
up and pretending that the
13 episodes were actually a really long movie
so that we could shamelessly binge-watch our
favorite cold-blooded, smooth-talking Southern
Democrat.
“House of Cards” chronicles the rise of
Representative Frank Underwood, who embarks
on a path of revenge and ends up manipulating,
flattering and brutally strong-arming his way
through a morally bankrupt Washington to the
White House.
The series has won critical acclaim, winning
multiple Emmys and rave reviews from viewers in
Maine and China and everywhere in between.
But why do we love “House of Cards” so much?
The show has an uncanny resemblance to Aaron
Sorkin’s “The West Wing” from the late 1990s
and early 2000s. Both shows cover the inner
workings of Washington from the perspective of
a charismatic hero (or antihero) but that is where
the similarities end.
“The West Wing” is chock full of idealism and
morally-preaching monologues that resonated
with the post-Cold War triumphalism of America
in the 1990s, hence its popularity during its run.
“House of Cards” resonates with us because it
reflects our present, a society fatigued by a decade
of distant war, political gridlock and economic
failures that have shaken the population’s faith in
the traditional institutions of power.
For example, in an episode of “The West
Wing,” the presidential order for an assassination
of a terrorist leader causes one of the characters
to launch into a monologue about the hazards
of the new fog of war; representative of the
anxieties Americans in the early 2000s regarding
the new realities of a looming War on Terror.
After nearly a decade of war and controversial
drone assassinations have fatigued us in the real
world, a fictional President Frank Underwood
gives the snap order to blast an extremist leader
in Yemen into oblivion while viewing from the
screens of the Situation Room, simply to make a
point to his wife about the cold-blooded nature
of international politics; civilian casualties
be damned. Such a scene touches viewers,
particularly younger ones, because it provides
a cold-blooded narrative of politics that makes
sense of our government’s alleged abuses overseas,
in contrast to the altruistic foreign policy
principles of the 1990s.
The Washingtons portrayed in “The West
Wing” and “House of Cards” are both messes of
swirling special interests and partisan politics.
The difference is that many of the central
characters in “The West Wing,” including the
President, are idealists who stick to their beliefs
and truly seek to bring sanity to their nation
and betterment for their citizens. Despite the
frustrations that many Americans felt towards
their government during the 1990s, Americans
had some measure of faith that their elected
leaders had some form of their best interests at
heart.
The Capitol portrayed in “House of Cards”
is similarly rotten to the core with lobbyists and
party bickering. However, the key difference is
summed up by Underwood, when he laments
through the fourth wall that a colleague “chose
money over power, in this town a mistake
nearly everyone makes,” going on to add that
“Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that
starts falling apart after ten years, power is the
old stone building that stands for centuries.”
Underwood summarizes the motivators of him
and his colleagues into two choices: money and
power; with the betterment of one’s constituents
conspicuously absent. This is a compelling
moment of the show. It resonates with viewers
because it rationalizes the past decade of political
failures; it argues that today’s leaders merely have
their personal interests at heart.
Perhaps future historians will compare “House
of Cards” with “The West Wing” and use it as a
shining example of the cynicism and loss of faith
in government that took place in the span of a
decade during the new millennium. For now, we
can simply try to exercise full control and avoid
watching all 13 new episodes of the most honest
depiction of modern Washington in one sitting.
A6 Features
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
P-CEP Fashion Trends
Story and photos by Reem Ameiche
Page design by Alyce Krumm
Joggers
Pictured: Noah Adams, Erica Avedesian,
Paige Graham and Grace Rodriguez
Flannel Shirts
Timberlands
If you’re looking for the comfort of sweatpants
with a more flattering appearance, joggers are
for you. Joggers are sweatpants that are more
slender at the leg, while leaving enough space
for comfort. Worn with high-top shoes, Nikes or
boots with long socks, joggers can put a modern
twist on a classic relaxed look.
Sorel Boots
This winter season, menswear has had quite the
influence on women’s apparel. Timberland boots,
primarily made for men, have had a breakout in
women’s fashion. The durability of the boots as
well as celebrity influence has made Timberlands
the most popular shoe this year. Now made in
various colors and designs, Timberlands appeal
to boys and girls of all ages.
The 90s grunge look seems to have made a
comeback within the last year, starting with
oversized flannel shirts. The big appeal about
these shirts is the comfortable, relaxed fit, with
warm material that can be dressed up or dressed
down. This classic piece is also versatile; it can be
worn during warmer seasons unbuttoned or tied
around the waist.
Sorel boots have made their way to the top this season. These long, warm
and stylish boots have become more common as a horrendous winter
has progressed over the past few months. The slender and multicolored
boot is a great way to add a splash of color to dull winter clothing. They’re
lightweight and have laces, making it convenient to walk long distances
comfortably.
Fashion is taking a turn for the past and continues to change
rapidly. It will be fun to see what turns fashion will take next.
Will we continue to mimic the past?
SAVE $95**
State Tests
Limited Time
Offer
6000 N. Sheldon Rd.
Canton, MI 48187
(734) 446-5576
**For new clients applied to Academic Evaluation fee.
Accredited by
See B2 for
player profiles on
Chris Dooley and
Natalie Nowicki
B1 Sports
March 20, 2015
Quick
Hits
Wrestling
Congratulations to the
P-CEP wrestlers who went
All-State:
Dylan Dwyer-PLY
Ty Jasman-CAN
Mitch Gross-SAL
Q&A: Salem athlete Tyler Brooks
Tyler Brooks, a Salem senior varsity
basketball and baseball player, suffered
from a herniated disc in his lower back
and was unable to compete for the second
half of this year’s basketball season.
While on vacation with his family last
summer, he hurt his back and was in pain
for a week before he finally scheduled an
appointment with his doctor. He started
physical therapy for two months and was
able to come back and play for the first
six games of the season. After a second
appointment with his doctor, he was told
he wouldn’t be able to return to basketball
and to immediately start physical therapy.
At the age of 14 Brooks was a state
champion and national runner up in the
Pitch, Hit & Run contest and ever since
Basketball
Plymouth Boys Varsity
Basketball are KLAA
Conference Champs and
Division Champs.
Plymouth Boys Swim
and Dive won their third
straight KLAA South Division. The 200-meter medley finished 19th in the
state, the 400 meter relay
team dropped two seconds
for a new school record
and Michael Wischer broke
his previous school record
in the state finals.
Gymnastics
Canton Girls
Gymnastics won Regionals
and qualified for states
as well as had individual
qualifiers. Allison Kunz is
the State Champion in the
uneven bars with a score of
9.75.
Plymouth Girls
Gymnastics finished third
at Regionals and qualified
girls for the state meet as
well the team for team
states. Rebecca Simu went
all state with a 7th place
finish on the balance beam
for the 2nd year in a row.
Hockey
Salem hockey won the
Division title by beating
Brighton High School.
Quick Hits are
composed by
The Perspective
sports staff.
EF: Do you think your injury will inhibit
your ability to play baseball in college?
TB: Possibly. With my back as it is
currently, I can’t throw as hard as I would
if I were perfectly healthy.
EF: How fast were you throwing before
your injury? What are you throwing now?
TB: Before my injury, on an outdoor
mound, I was throwing in the mid 80s
and now, since we are indoors, I am
throwing in the high 70s, but if we
were outside on a real mound, I would
probably be somewhere in the low 80s.
So I’m not terribly far off from where I
was before the injury, I’m just not where
I would like to be at this point.
EF: Do you think it would be difficult
for a college coach to take a chance and
sign an injured player?
TB: I definitely think it would be
difficult. Signing an injured player
is always risky, and it’s even more
risky when we’re talking about a back
injury. Backs are tricky and they aren’t
something you can just play through
like a sprained ankle. You need your
back for just about everything in life so
I’m not going to take any chances with it
and overdo anything.
Salem Girls Varsity
Basketball are KLAA,
Association, Division and
District Champs. They also
made it to the Regional
Finals.
Swim
By Emily Finn
News Editor
has been gaining recognition for his
contact with both of those
talents in baseball. He has been on Salem’s schools’ coaches and have
Varsity Baseball team since his sophomore also received interest from
year and had high hopes to play in college, Eastern Michigan University,
but since his injury, he may have to put
Lake Erie College and also
his dreams of playing college ball on hold. some places farther away like
University of Dallas.
Photo By Brian Quintos
Senior Tyler Brooks looks to pass as
Canton junior Logan Ryan defends.
EF: What are your hopes for next year?
TB: Currently, I haven’t gotten offers
yet. My hopes are to play somewhere
along the lines of Northwood or Saginaw
Valley State University. I have been in
EF: You had an epidural to
help with the pain in your
back; do you hope this will
help you recover? When is
the earliest you will know if
you can return to finish your
baseball season with Salem?
TB: I hope the epidural will
help me recover and the
doctors expect that it will
as well. This injury has not
affected me playing baseball
in any way so I will be playing
this season. It was just hard
to play during basketball; it’s
much more physical.
Photo By Brian Quintos
EF: Were you sad that you
couldn’t play basketball this
Brooks cheers on his teammates from the sideseason? You started last year lines during the Canton game.
as a junior and were the
games and practices so I’m still as much a
leading rebounder. This was your year to
part of the team as I was before the injury
shine. How do you feel about not being
so it’s still great to be there.
able to complete your season?
TB: I was sad that I couldn’t play
Brooks is thankful for all the support
basketball this season. I had been playing
of his family and friends. He said, “I
with some of these guys as far back as
would like to thank everyone for helping
third grade, so we were all very close as
me through this injury. My parents were
a team and we have a great group. It was
very supportive in my decision to sit
very hard for me to have to sit out during
the remainder of the season out. Coach
the majority of the season.
Brodie was also very respectful of my
decision, and it is nice that he realizes my
EF: How have your teammates helped you
overall health is the most important thing
cope with your injury?
at this point in time.”
TB: During this injury my teammates
have helped me through by just acting
the way they always have. I still go to the
Plymouth and Canton pompon compete at states
By Hailey Foster
Design/Layout of Sports
Every ounce of work at
practice that is put in during the
season is all for one important
moment; the epitome of the season where teams are recognized
and celebrated for their hard
work and progress. For both the
Plymouth and Canton Pompon
teams, that was the Mid-American Pompon state competition.
“We prepared by conditioning
a lot. It was tough but so worth
it in the end. We did countless minute kicks, changed our
stretching routine to improve
flexibility and even weight training,” said Canton senior captain
Ayden Peters.
The event took place at
Michigan State University’s
Breslin Center. It started early
in the morning and lasted until
late afternoon. The intensity in
the atmosphere was heavy with
nerves and anticipation for the
competition to begin. Teams
flooded the hallways, practicing their routines over and over
again until they were flawless. Girls ran around in their
uniforms, looking for someone
to touch up their makeup or fix
formed ninth with a clean and
JV teams waited anxiously to
their hair. Emotions were on
well executed routine to the refind out the standings. Canton
high and it all made for a very
mix of the song “Uptown Funk”
took the State title and Plymouth
competitive day.
by Bruno Mars. There was high
earned 3rd place out of 10 teams.
“The key
The exciteto success is
ment gained
team unity,
momentum after
which is
the JV awards
something
ceremony, in anthat I expeticipation for the
rienced for
varsity competithe first time
tion. There were
this year.
two divisions
We are all
of varsity, the
best friends
Class A division
which made
two and Class A
this an
group. Plymouth
even bigger
and Canton
accomplishboth performed
ment,” said
in the Class A
Plymouth
group.
Photo By Nello Santori
senior capCanton
tain Cassidy Canton Varsity Pom team celebrates their win at the state
was ninth to go
Koviak.
out of 12 teams
competition at Michigan State University.
The mornperforming for
ing started off with the middle
energy, and it was easy to see the the state title. They performed a
school division with 11 teams
girls had fun and put in a lot of
strong and vibrant routine to an
competing for the state title.
hard work.
oldies remix of the songs “We
Following the middle school
Next was Plymouth who
Will Rock You,” “Fat-Bottomed
teams was the JV division that
performed last with a very
Girls,” “Bohemian Rhapsody”
consisted of 10 teams, includconcise routine with an accurate
and “Another One Bites The
ing both Canton and Plymouth
and clean kick line to the remix
Dust” that excited the audience
pompon teams.
“We Make it Bounce” by Dillon
until the end.
The Canton JV team perFrancis.
“I loved this routine so much.
This being my senior year I
couldn’t be happier with how my
last year as a Chiefette came to
an end. I love my team and will
cherish my last year as a Chiefette forever,” said Peters.
Plymouth was 11th to go out
of 12 teams. They performed to
the remix “Do or Die” by Flux
Pavilion.
“We had an awesome routine
and it was a great feeling to show
it off to everyone at the Breslin
Center,” said Koviak.
Once the afternoon ended on
the collegiate division the awards
ceremony commenced. Canton
Varsity took the state title and
Plymouth earned 3rd place
overall.
“I love these girls with all my
heart and I’m so proud of the
things we accomplished together,” said Koviak.
It was a successful showing
for both Park teams and a very
impressive feat by Canton, having both its Varsity and JV teams
take away state titles. Next year
both teams look to improve and
grow together as a team to remain successful and to continue
to be the two powerhouses of
Pompon.
Plymouth swim shatters records
By David Cook
Sports Editor
The Plymouth Boys Swim and Dive team
shattered some records on Feb. 22. The
Wildcats took home its third straight KLAA
South Division Championship and qualified
for three events at States: 200 Medley, 200
Free, and 400 Free relays.
Those three events not only broke Plymouth Varsity records, but also had the fastest
time for the 200 Medley and 400 Free relay
in KLAA South history. Now the team is
shifting attention to the KLAA Conference
finals at Novi High School.
The 400 Free relay team composed of
seniors Brandon Burger and Ryan Heinze
along with sophomores Jackson Boczar and
Mike Wischer clocked in at 1:31.35, a time
that will be hard to beat for many years to
follow.
They will be competing in the same event
this month at the state championship at
Photo By John Kemski
Eastern Michigan University. Boczar was
Plymouth junior Aniketh Visai competes in an event during a swim meet.
proud to attribute to the team’s success thus
far, “The team has made great strides this
year and I’m glad to be a part of it. Our goal
for states is to get past preliminaries and go
from there.”
Plymouth swim coach Kenn Forbes gave
his insight on Plymouth’s success thus far.
“To sum up the season in one word:
Awesome. The season has been awesome.
Plymouth has never finished higher than
6th overall in the conference. At the beginning of the season the team told me that
they wanted 3rd; now it looks like we have
a decent shot at that and I couldn’t be more
proud. The next step is States. It’s been a
long season with a lot of hard work, tough
races, and, of course, homework. When
you add all of that together and realize the
team average GPA is around a 3.64, well as
I previously stated; this season was awesome. Whatever happens at states I will be
extremely proud of the boys and eager for
next year,” said Forbes.
B2 Sports
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
Chris Dooley
By David Cook
Staff Writer
Chris Dooley is a senior on the
Canton Golf Team. Here are
some things you may not know
about him...
Dooley holds his finish after a
drive down the fairway.
Favorite Post Game Meal:
Bdubs with the boys
Pre-Game ritual: Take a nap
and listen to music before the game
Favorite Hobby: Music
Favorite T.V. Show: Dexter
Favorite Class: AP Spanish
Favorite Hobby: going to
the driving range with headphones in,
practicing and relaxing
Favorite Golfer: Roy McIlroy
Player profile:
Natalie Nowicki
By Michelle Burke
Design Editor
Natalie Nowicki is a junior on
the Plymouth Girls Lacrosse team.
She plays midfield. She is also the
goalie on the PCS Penguins
hockey team. Here are some
things you may not know about
her...
Hobby: Lacrosse, hockey and
hanging out with friends
Favorite Meal: Arabic Food
Pre-Game Ritual: resting and
eating good food
Favorite Teacher:
Mrs. Novess
Nowicki looks to score against
rivals South Lyon High School.
Favorite Movie/ T.V Show:
Harry potter
Superstitions: I don’t have any
Favorite Lacrosse Player:
Taylor Cummings
Celebrity Crush: Carrie
Underwood
In 10 years I will be: having a successful career in a business related field and
maybe married with kids.
My View on Sports
By Hailey Foster
Design/Layout of Sports
Ever since you were little, you would walk
into a store or a restaurant and see some teenager
wearing this big and fancy jacket adorned with
medals and patches. You would look with amazement at their accomplishments and dream of the
day you got to be just like them, wearing that jacket
proudly.
It’s a great feeling being awarded for your accomplishments and having people stop and ask
you about it. It gives you a sense of pride and
satisfaction that you can share your successes and
Photo By Plymouth Lacrosse
Photo By Focal Point
Player profile:
experiences with others. The other day I was pulled
aside at the gym talking to this lady who was impressed with my jacket; she was very interested in
my future and the sports I did. This has happened
many times and every time it makes me smile and
feel proud to represent my sport and school.
A lot of hard work and effort goes into earning
your letter. You put in countless hours at practice
and maybe even hours outside of practice. Some
people like to get extra help outside so that they are
even more conditioned and at a higher level competitively. This includes select or higher level teams
Favorite class at the Park:
Spanish
In 10 years I will be: Working as a physical therapist and traveling a lot. Also
have a family.
not part of the school; gym memberships, CrossFit,
Jake Sweeney’s House of Iron, and more. There is
an extra level of effort needed to attain that letter
whether you put that effort in at practice or with a
little help.
The excitement of earning your letter varies
sometimes depending on the year you earn it.
Freshman year is somewhat rare because certain
sports don’t give out letters to freshmen due to size
or experience. But in other sports, like running or
swimming, you can earn it just as easily as a senior
could your freshman year. So earning your letter
freshman year is very impressive, exciting and
something not everyone can say.
Earning your letter senior year is exciting
because all your hard work over the four years was
finally achieved, but you don’t get to wear it for
very long, especially if you earn it during a spring
sport. Either way, earning your letter, no matter
what grade, is a great experience that most athletes
look forward to.
As a freshman you don’t really think about the
last time you will wear your jacket because you still
have a few more years to wear it. But as senior year
rolls around and winter is starting to come to a
close, it all hits you. One day you will no longer be
able to wear it anymore. It’s almost overwhelming
and sad to think about.
My varsity jacket was the one thing I looked
forward to in high school and soon I won’t be able
to wear it anymore. As exciting as it is to start another chapter in my life by going to college, it will
be somewhat emotional hanging up my jacket for
the last time. It is the thing I was most proud of in
my entire high school experience.
Even though you won’t be able to wear it anymore after high school, it will always be there to
help you remember all of your great memories and
hard work you put in over the years. You can pull
it out of the dusty closet or box and just smile. You
can show your kids and tell them all about your
experiences and get them excited for one day earning their letter in high school.
B3 Sports
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
Resurgence of Detroit basketball
After winning their third NBA Championship
in 2004 and appearing in at least the Eastern Conference Finals the four years after that, not even age
could stop the Detroit Pistons from putting themselves above the rest of the Eastern Conference.
Then, early in the 2008-2009 season, the Pistons
were off to a 3-0 start, looking to repeat the cycle.
But it came as an enormous surprise when star
point guard Chauncey Billups was traded the next
day to the Denver Nuggets for future Hall-of-Fame
guard Allen Iverson.
The Pistons barely made the postseason that
year, and were swept away in the first round by
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. What
would have been a good move in 2000 or 2001
when Iverson was in his prime quickly turned
into a disaster, as Billups, a.k.a. “Mr. Big Shot,” was
gone, and the decline of a dynasty began.
Now, no one remains from the last postseason
team and the Pistons are onto their 5th head coach
since then. This time, however, they have a coach
that has other plans for those looking to count the
team out. After a 5-23 start to the 2014-2015 sea-
By Alex Mercurio
Staff Writer
son, head coach Stan Van Gundy had a tough deci- both their city and their teams, so it didn’t take
long for the streak to not only put the fans back in
sion to make. With the Pistons virtually out of the
the Palace of Auburn Hills’ seats, but for the entire
playoff race, he decided to release former Atlanta
fan base to have some hope once again.
Hawks superstar Josh Smith, who was only in his
What does it mean to the city of Detroit that
second year of a four-year contract with the team.
they are now given something to cheer about? “It
Smith, a power forward, was shooting only 24.3
percent on three-pointers and 39.1 percent overall, means that we have a basketball team again,” Salem
junior Christian Alvarado said. “We usually let the
along with 46.8 percent on free throws.
Pistons fall to the wayside while we watch other
With $27 million still owed to Smith, Van
teams flourish. Them playing well completes our
Gundy took a chance for the sake of the Pistons,
sports city.”
knowing Smith was not doing enough to help the
In the midst of a 15-game stretch where the Pisteam.
tons won 12 of the 15 games, they hit a roadblock
His risk paid off immediately, as the Pistons
on Jan. 24 in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, as
won seven straight games, including a win on the
Jennings went down with a full tear in his Achilles,
road against the San Antonio Spurs, the defendending his season. Jennings had been averaging
ing NBA Champions, thanks to a buzzer-beating
over 21 points per game and over 6.5 assists per
floater by point guard Brandon Jennings.
game throughout the course of the 15 games, leavIt was only a matter of time until the once
ing the success of the Pistons in jeopardy. This time
laughing-stock of the NBA pulled to within one
game of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conthe Pistons lost a player that they couldn’t afford to
ference, proving to those who didn’t believe that
lose, and Van Gundy would be put to the test withthe Pistons were hungry for their first playoff berth out his starting point guard. “Without Brandon
since 2009. Detroit sports fans are passionate about Jennings the Pistons lose the heart of their team
and their greatest leader. Not to mention a great
play maker and scorer,” said Danny Zorn, Canton
senior. When asked about the future of the team,
Zorn added, “I believe they will continue to fight as
hard as they can, but the level of skill and leadership on the team takes a big dip without Jennings
on the floor. I can’t see them making the playoffs or
winning more than 30 games this season.”
The loss of Jennings is a big one for a team
looking to make a return to relevance, but there is
still plenty of basketball to be played this season.
Newly acquired point guard Reggie Jackson has
the franchise in his hands as the new starting point
guard for the Pistons. But the outcome of the 20142015 Pistons may depend on how well Van Gundy
can get his team to play on the defensive side of the
ball.
With a lot of basketball left to play and a relatively weak Eastern Conference, don’t count the
Detroit Pistons out, as they look to prove that they
never forgot the meaning of Detroit basketball.
P-CEP Girls Lacrosse spring season preview
upperclassmen helped with their successes during
the 2013-2014 season. “A few of our key players
are Katla Nuler, Lauren Rippy and Madelyn Mans,”
Church added.
Losing some graduated seniors from their 2014
season will hit Canton, but their rising seniors
from 2015 are looking to impress. “Many of our
girls play summer and winter lacrosse for A2 Lax,
and we’ve been running off season conditioning
session for the past few weeks to get ready for the
season,” said Church.
Plymouth Girls Lacrosse is looking fierce for
their 2014-2015 season. With nine returning
seniors, these girls are ready to fight. Bouncing off
a losing season of 4-10, their coach and teammates
are looking for a winning season. “Last season was
pretty rough for us,” said senior captain Sophia
Miller. “Our team goals this season are to really
work together, finalize our offense, and, of course,
to win. In our off season our team has made a
tremendous effort to make it to conditioning and
practices to get ready for this upcoming season.” A
new addition to the Wildcat family is junior varsity
coach Mary; she spent her college years at Alma
playing lacrosse and volleyball.
Canton, Salem and Plymouth are all looking
strong this year and filled with exceptional players.
All the conditioning and stick skills work put in
the offseason will pay off because these girls aren’t
going down without a fight.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Burke
The spring season is upon us. The bitter cold
still bites us in our first practices and season
opener, but we still are there for the love of the
game. Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in
America. The popularity of lacrosse on the East
Coast swept over and captured the West Coast’s
attention.
“Our team goal this year is to continue building
our team’s reputation. We’ve come a long way in a
few short years, and we’d like to carry on the legacy
past players have left us,” said Salem senior captain
Andi Marthaler. The first Girls Lacrosse team at
the Park to win KLAA conference was Salem High
School. Winning this title during their 2013-2014
season was a big achievement for their team. With
a record of 13-4, they’re looking for a great 20142015 season as well.
“About half our team graduated last year so our
eight returning players are extremely valuable.
We’ve done a lot of team stuff during the offseason,
such as a tournament in November and workouts
and practices during the summer and winter,” said
Marthaler.
Canton Girls Lacrosse also had a great
2013-2014 season, hopeful to repeat their Park
Champion title. “Our team goals this season are
to focus on working the ball around really well
and conditioning our defense to cut down on
our opponents’ shot opportunities,” said senior
Canton captain Jordan Church. Their experienced
Photo courtesy of Andi Marthaler
By Michelle Burke
Design Editor
Photo courtesy of Jordan Church
Top picture: Salem Girls Lacrosse team poses
after spray painting the rock. Bottom left: the
Plymouth Girls Lacrosse team gets pumped
up for a game in a team huddle. Bottom right:
the Canton Girls Lacrosse team stands in line
during the National Anthem.
734-453-2980 www.rosecatering.com – [email protected] 248-476-7385
Monaghan Banquet Center
19801 Farmington Road
Livonia, Michigan 48152
Your Party and Event Specialist
We can cater your Party
“Hot Dogs to Caviar”
New Year’s / Christmas
St. Valentine Dance
St. Patrick’s Day
Grand Openings
Graduations
Golf Outings
Halloween Parties
Birthday Parties
Baby Showers
Wedding Showers
Rehearsal Dinners
Weddings / Anniversary
Customer Appreciation Parties
Trade & Craft Shows
Funeral Luncheons
Repasts
Fundraisers
Pig Roasts /
BBQ’s cooked on Site
Family, School, Reunions
Customized Menus Available for All Occasions
Monaghan Banquet Center
Available for All Events 50 to 400
Photographer On Staff Available
B4 Features
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
By Mesa Marks
Copy Editor
“You’re Mr. Marks’ daughter?! I love him. He’s
to have my dad as their teacher.
the best sub ever!” This is a sentence I have now
Some people try to become friends with me
heard almost every day since the beginning of my
just so they can say, “I’m friends with Mr. Marks’
high school career.
daughter.” It’s always fun to play: do they actually
It isn’t usually a bad thing for my dad to be the
want to be friends with me or do they want to talk
infamous “Supreme Commander of the Entire
to me just because of who I am? “Aren’t you Mr. Marks’ daughter?” Umm hello, I
Known Universe,” although it’s not always a good
thing either.
do have my own name. I can’t even remember the
Peers and teachers alike are constantly
last time I met someone without the conversation
commenting about my relation to the beloved
starting with “Aren’t you Mr. Marks’ daughter?”
substitute teacher.
I can’t go anywhere with my dad; everywhere
Students frequently question it, like I’m lying to
we go we constantly hear “Hey that’s Mr. Marks!”
get people to like me, and teachers often use me as
or “Hey Supreme Commander, do you remember
a messenger in order to ask when my dad will be
me?”
available to substitute for them.
It’s a nightmare. I love my dad, but it’s just
“Oh my god I just had your dad as a substitute
exhausting. I truly feel bad for celebrities that are
always surrounded by paparazzi. I just couldn’t do
in my class!” I think this is my favorite comment
it. Even now, I can’t walk down the street without
that I get about my dad, because I don’t even know
what to say to that. When someone says that to me, someone commenting about who I am and who
my dad is.
I automatically want to comment sarcastically. I
Of course, there are some perks to being the
just want to say “Congratulations! Would you like
daughter of the Supreme Commander too. I don’t
a cookie?” What exactly do you expect me to say
have to waste the money to buy a parking pass
to that?
because my dad’s here every day so I can just ride
People around me constantly seem like they’re
talking about my dad and who he is.
with him. My dad’s always filling me in on things
I just love when I hear that my ex-boyfriends
that even the teachers don’t know about yet, like
are actually bragging about dating Mr. Marks’
assemblies or half days. I guess sometimes it is a
daughter; that’s always fun to hear. I get exgood thing to be Mr. Marks’ daughter.
boyfriends texting me telling me how awkward it is
Photo Courtesy of Mesa Marks
My story: Supreme Commander’s daughter
Mesa Marks and her dad, Gary Marks, AKA the Supreme Commander.
Breakfast Club ban
By Ryann Castleman
Managing Editor
This month marks the 30th anniversary of
the teen classic “The Breakfast Club” by John
Hughes. Not only was this movie revolutionary
when it comes to the portrayal of teen tropes and
stereotypes, but with movies in general. Aside
from being quoted religiously, having a hit
song off of the soundtrack, and containing
some of the more iconic scenes in the past 50
years, “The Breakfast Club” has also belted
the highest honor of a cult classic that can
be acquired; it was banned from Salem High
School.
But that was back in 1986. A school board
candidate loser, Diane Daskalakis, presented
a petition with 700 signees proposing to cut
out that film from any and all classes that
might have shown it. Before the bill was put
up for a vote, it was put in action, stopping
any teacher from showing it to his or her
students. A board meeting was held to
discuss the ban and around 200 students
showed up, protesting the censorship of the
film, and claiming that the ban of the movie
was violating the students’ First Amendment
rights to receive information and the
teachers’ rights to teach new ideals.
Obviously the student’s passion worked,
because today classes, like Psychology, use the
movie as a learning tool.
It’s amazing to think about a time where the
timeless classic was banned, but it’s no wonder
that it was. “The Breakfast Club” was, and still is,
very truthful about everything from the pressure
exerted on teens to accurate portrayals of drug
usage and home life. Of course it was banned,
because it was way too truthful to be allowed.
Other banned items include “The Catcher in the
Rye,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,”
“Fahrenheit 451,” “Gone with the Wind,” The Great
Gatsby,” “Their Eyes were Watching God,” “To
Kill a Mockingbird,” and “Where the Wild Things
Are.” Over half of these books are on our required
reading lists today!
While researching the “Breakfast Ban,”
the most astonishing thing to me was the
passion the students had over their rights
being violated. How many times has our
generation raised a collective voice and
actually made a difference? Most of us don’t
know what is happening and couldn’t care
less. We should all make a bit more effort
to be involved in our own educations.
So, “The Breakfast Club” is a must see
for any teenager, and whether you’ve never
seen it before or have seen it 20 times,
“The Breakfast Club” is being showing in
select theaters around the U.S. and students
should really go and immerse themselves
in a once-banned, heartwarming classic.
The 80s are not that old
The Miracle on Ice, hair metal, evolved hip hop, and large hair
were all popular in the 1980’s. This generation looks back on those
years, thinking they were centuries ago. The 80s brought a decade of
influence with them that we tend to overlook and forget about. Here
is a reminder of what the 80s have brought us.
“It’s culturally one of the best decades of all time,” Chris Holloway,
Plymouth senior said.
Hollywood brought many great movies in the 80s including Back
to the Future, Star Wars Episode IV and V, The Terminator, Top Gun,
The Breakfast Club, Rambo, and Die Hard. Many celebrities we know
and love became who they are in this time too. Even on television
we got some of the greatest shows of all time. Our childhoods were
forever changed by shows like The Simpsons and Full House. Seinfeld
debuted in 1989 to become one of the most popular sitcoms of all
time. The show 21 Jump Street appeared in the 80s and without it we
would never have the two hilarious movies that transpired in 2012
and 2014.
Illustration by Angelica Tao
By Eric Borg
Staff Writer
The music industry boomed in the 1980s. Hard rock and heavy
metal became the dominant music genres of the decade. Featuring
bands like Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Def Leppard, AC/
DC, Queen, and Van Halen. Of course hip hop wasn’t ignored either
with classics like the Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C., and Grandmaster
Flash exerting a strong influence on the genre. Pop thrived as well,
creating a boom in the industry with Michael Jackson, Prince, and
Madonna mastering the genre. However, one of the worst days, if not
the worst day in music history, occurred in the 1980s with the death
of John Lennon on February 19, 1980.
“I think our generation lacks appreciation for the music and that
they do not give enough attention to the classics like Metallica,”
Holloway said.
The 80s brought forth some of the biggest events in sports
history. The 1980 Winter Olympics will always be remembered as
the Olympics that the U.S. hockey team, comprised of only college
kids, defeated the Soviet Red Army team and went on to win the gold
medal. The New York Islanders won the Stanley Cup four years in
a row (1980-83). The biggest trade in NHL history occurred when
Wayne Gretzky, Marty McSorley, and Mike Krushelnyski were traded
from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings to get Martin
Gelinas, Jimmy Carson, three first round draft picks, and $15 million
dollars. The San Francisco 49ers won four Super Bowls during the
decade led by Joe Montana. Michael Jordan entered the NBA and
became one of the most beloved sports icons in history.
No matter how it may seem these events were not that long ago.
We all think of these at one time or another. So it’s time to think back
and enjoy what the 80s have brought us. We should savor this time,
rather than ignore it.
17 things I learned before I turn 18
By Sydney Ortiz
Copy Editor
When you think about it, 17 years is a long time. Someone is going to read this and think, “Oh just
wait until you’re 40!” and maybe when I’m 40, I’ll look back and laugh at what I thought I knew when I
was 17.
But for now, I’m 17 years and 364 days old and I’m looking back at almost 2 decades on this planet. My
18th birthday is tomorrow and I’m ready to grow up.
At least I think I am.
I’ve learned a few things along the way and I feel like it’s time to share what I have with others.
Although I’m more than ready to be 18 (graduation! senior year! tattoos!), it’s still a big step. To me,
nothing is ever that easy and 17 years definitely haven’t all been smooth sailing.
I know what it’s like. I want to share 17 things I learned before I turned 18 with you and I hope you’ll
take some of this to heart and maybe even come up with your own list.
1. People don’t think the same way you do. You have different, wonderful, new ideas.
2. You’ve got to let people in. You can’t live closed off from the world.
3. Good people gather good people around them. Surround yourself with goodness.
4. Being an artist IS possible.
5. People do care what you have to say. Everyone has stories to tell.
6. Listen. Keep your mind open.
7. A future is a valuable thing. Take care of it now by making your present worth it.
8. It’s only you. You only have yourself. Change and love come from within.
9. Starving yourself will get you nowhere.
10. Accept help. You need it more than you’ll ever admit but you are not weak or selfish for needing help.
11. Your interests, passions, and desires are all important. Do what you love.
12. Guilt helps you know right from wrong but do not let it consume you. Guilt will eat you from the
inside out if you allow it. Stay rational. Everyone makes mistakes.
13. Perfection is unachievable. Stop dying for it.
14. You are not a burden. There are people who will stand by you no matter what because they CARE
and WANT to and you DESERVE it. They aren’t here out of pity and they aren’t annoyed.
15. You are loved, wanted, and beautiful.
16. You are not so easily defined. You are complex, interesting, creative and smart. One moment in life
does not show your whole character, nor does one year. You are more than your depression or disorder.
17. Life isn’t always going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. But I think the most important thing I’ve
learned is that life is always worth it.
B5 Features
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
Reviews with Ryan
Big Sean:
Dark Sky Paradise
Detroit rapper and G.O.O.D.
Music label member, Big Sean,
recently released his third studio
album, Dark Sky Paradise. After
putting out four singles, only one
of them actually made it onto the
album.
It would be unfair to say that
Big Sean is back, because he
never really left. He has been
active ever since his first studio
album, Finally Famous, in 2011.
The Detroit mixtape, Kanye
West’s Cruel Summer, and Hall
of Fame, are all projects that Big
Sean has been involved with
before the release of
his newest album.
But is Big Sean
beginning to burn
out? When listening
to Dark Sky Paradise,
it is apparent that the
album is not at the
same level as his last
two albums, or even
his latest mix tape. However, that
doesn’t mean that you should
dismiss it.
This album features
production from a star lineup,
including Kanye West, DJ
Mustard, KeY Wane, DJ Dahi,
Mike WiLL Made It, and more.
The beats match the name of the
album because they are pretty
dark. Mike WiLL Made It’s
style fits the theme well; deep,
rumbling bass, slow tempo, and
synthetic, computerized sound
to make the album seem modern
and dark. DJ Mustard is to thank
for possibly the best beat on the
album with “I Know (feat. Jhené
Aiko).”
When it comes to lyrics, Big
Sean gets a lot more hate than
he should. While some songs on
Drake:
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
this album are obviously meant
to be party songs and nothing
more, there are some good
rhyme schemes and wordplay
that may go unnoticed. However,
a major downside is that Big
Sean rarely changes up his flow,
and at some points it seems he is
rapping over the beat as opposed
to with the beat.
“All Your Fault (feat. Kanye
West)”, “I Know (feat. Jhené
Aiko)”, “Outro”, and “Blessings
(feat. Drake)”, are all tracks
that are worthwhile to listen
to. Big Sean’s girlfriend, Ariana
Grande, also makes
an appearance on
the album with a
catchy hook on the
not-so-serious song
“Research”.
While there are
more than just a few
good songs on this
album, there are also
a fair number of “fillers.” There
are a lot of unnecessary features,
like PARTYNEXTDOOR, Lil
Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, Chris
Brown, and E-40. But thankfully
they do not ruin any of the good
songs, and can easily be skipped
over.
I wasn’t blown away by Dark
Sky Paradise, but at the same
time I wasn’t let down. It’s the
kind of project that you can pull
away certain songs to listen to,
but may not enjoy every track
from.
If you like Big Sean at all I
would recommend that you
check out this album. If you are
not a fan of new school rap or
dark, heavy production, this is
probably not the album for you.
Score: 5/10
By Ryan Morelli
Staff Writer
Imagine Dragons:
Smoke + Mirrors
After the wild success of their
first album, Night Visions, in
2012, Imagine Dragons follows
up with another studio album
three years later titled Smoke +
Mirrors.
Their first album had huge
radio hits such as “Radioactive”,
“It’s Time”, and
“Demons”. It had
an alternative rock
sound with pop
and electronic
influences, and
even a dubstepinspired beat on the
song “Radioactive”,
which was remixed to include a
verse from Kendrick Lamar for
the 2014 Grammy Awards.
Imagine Dragons is a unique
band with something special.
Not many other current artists
sound like them; they have
managed to make original music
without sacrificing the quality of
their work.
In Smoke + Mirrors, Imagine
Dragons continues to provide
heavy bass lines, layered
vocals, and hard-hitting drum
patterns. Some of the songs
also have a quiet breakdown
where the beat changes and the
vocals become softer and less
aggressive, leading up to a drop
that sounds even harder after the
small intermission. While it is
somewhat predictable, it tends to
work for Imagine Dragons.
The standout tracks on this
album are “Gold”, “Friction”, and
“Warriors”. All of these songs
are epic and full-sounding. If
you have listened to Imagine
Dragons before then you know
their sound, and you can tell
when they are doing what they’re
meant to do.
The bad thing about
Smoke + Mirrors is
that there are a lot of
tracks that seem like
they’re meant to make
the album longer. It
may take a while to
fully digest it, which
in this case is not exactly a good
thing. At times I found myself
looking at the track list and not
being able to remember what
many of the songs sounded like.
Long albums can be good, but
not when it becomes a chore to
listen to them.
The bottom line is if you
like Imagine Dragons, then
you will probably enjoy this
album. If you haven’t listened
to them before, then give it a
listen, if you like alternative rock
infused with electronic and pop
influences. If you don’t generally
gravitate toward a more radiofriendly sound, then you may
want to skip Smoke + Mirrors.
Altogether it’s a decent album,
but nothing too special.
Score: 6/10
After two years of silence, the
famous and controversial rapper,
Drake, has made a splash with
the release of his new mix tape:
If You’re Reading This It’s Too
Late.
While Drake himself considers the project a mixtape, it was
released on iTunes for sale and
considered a studio album by
his label, Cash Money Records.
According to an interview with
Datpiff.com’s creator on HipHopDX.com, Drake may have
put out the album to fulfill a contractual obligation. Apparently it
would “count towards
his Cash Money deal
album total.”
Whether or not
you believe that
Drake released the
album strictly to
meet his contract’s
stipulations, it is still
a project that was entirely his own, without any label
interference.
If You’re Reading This It’s
Too Late is an interesting album
to dive into. A lot of the songs
seem to be hit or miss for most
people. The project features
production from artists such as
PARTYNEXTDOOR, Boi-1da,
Vinylz, and more.
Drake is definitely more self
aware this time around. He still
incorporates a bit of bragging
and self-hype, but he knows
that he can back it up. Not all
of the songs on this project are
profoundly lyrical, but most of
them have a mysterious, eerie
sound to them that fits Drake’s
style very well.
When it comes to production,
this album can definitely hold its
own. Heavy bass lines, jingling
hi-hats, and horror-inspired
melodies really help to carry the
project. Maybe one could say
that nothing would be the same
without this type of production?
There are a few songs that
could have been left out. Lil
Wayne and PARTYNEXTDOOR
were boring at best with their
features and the songs themselves were nothing too special
either. This album is pretty longwinded and it probably would
have packed a harder punch if
some of the “filler” tracks were
omitted.
Some of the standout songs
on this album are “No Tellin’,”
“Legend”, “6 God”,
and “Company (feat.
Travi$ Scott)”. But
easily the best song
is “Know Yourself ”,
which features a
subtle but extremely
catchy change up in
the beat and one of
the catchiest hooks of
this year. It’s hard to keep calm
when this song comes on, no
matter if you’re in the car or sitting in class.
Some people find it hard to
give Drake a chance because
they think he is too “soft” or
“emotional.” But every artist
has emotional songs, and just
because he is a rapper, doesn’t
mean he has to be hard and
tough all the time.
If You’re Reading This It’s
Too Late is a solid project that
has something a lot of Drake’s
projects don’t have: consistency.
You can tell what kind of album
you are getting into within the
first few songs. At first you may
think it’s too slow and lacks
substance, but dig a little deeper
and you will find what you are
looking for.
Score: 7.5/10
New class idea: cosmetology
As underclassmen turn in their schedule
requests for next year, students may start to
realize just how lucky they are to go to such
a large high school with so many different elective opportunities.
Business classes, such as Accounting and Marketing, give students a
real life perspective of the type of work they would be doing in these
particular professions while also receiving an applied math credit.
Other classes, such as Auto and Culinary Arts, count as a visual,
performing, or applied arts credit, (one full year of art is required
for graduation) and give students hands on experience and a chance
to explore their interests; some students even work towards a
certification and graduate high school more than prepared to start
their careers.
While students are constantly changing their minds about
what they want to do in the future, this image of the bathrooms
every morning at Plymouth high school has remained constant for
many years: a thick fog of hairspray and perfume fills the air, hair
straighteners and curling irons are plugged into the few available
outlets, and swarms of girls are trying to compete for mirror space
just to put the finishing touches on their makeup. For some of these
girls, beauty and hair styling isn’t just a hobby. It is something they
feel passionate about and one day hope to pursue as a career, just
like the students who take auto and culinary classes. Cosmetology
is a very realistic career path and there is a high demand for both
By Emily Finn
News Editor
men and women certified in hairstyling and makeup application
techniques. To further broaden our spectrum of classes offered at
the Park, administration should consider writing a curriculum for
cosmetology classes.
Photo by Emily Finn
Danielle Deasley, Plymouth senior, applies makeup.
Classes divided on pep rallies
By Kirsty McInnes
Co-Features Editor
Opinions were divided throughout P-CEP
aren’t enthusiastic.”
over the second semester pep rally. After over
However, in an attempt to possibly improve the
600 students left school before the rally began, it
pep rallies, Dougherty suggested that the schools
appeared as though some juniors and seniors at the try to “find a way to make them more fun. We
Park weren’t enthusiastic about the pep rallies.
could even cancel them and think of something
However, many underclassmen enjoyed the
better, and possibly do something on the day of
rallies and would like to see them continue. Jena
homecoming games.”
Patel, Salem sophomore, enjoyed the upbeat
Katie Waxer, a Canton junior, was more
atmosphere at the event. “Pep rallies lift up
concerned with the athletes involved in the rallies.
everyone’s spirits, people are positive and cheering
“Pep rallies are probably more fun for the athletes
and having fun; it brings people together,” she said. involved in them. They also encourage people to
Plymouth freshman Kylie Foster also found the
come out and support them at their games and
pep rally entertaining, particularly the displays of
meets.”
athleticism put on by various winter sports teams.
Emma Belanger, a senior and member of
“It’s fun to watch the cheer and step team and all
Plymouth Congress, said that as students, the
other teams like that.” Foster was disappointed,
members of congress expected people to leave,
however, with the games and activities that took
but they were surprised by the total number that
left. “The goal of the second semester rally was to
place during the rally.
try and get some school unity and focus on winter
Tresten Humm, a Plymouth senior, agreed.
sports. Normally all the glory is on football so we
“I wish they would do more than tug of war and
wanted to bring attention to other teams,” she said.
announcing sports teams. The pep rallies are very
Belanger said that Congress would try to “get
repetitive. Every year it’s the same thing.”
more fun and involved games. We want everyone
Salem junior Miles Dougherty was also critical
to be excited and laughing, but we’re not trying to
of the rallies, but for a different reason. “I don’t
force enthusiasm.”
think we should have them. They don’t pump
anyone up, no one pays attention and the teams
Aprylle Magar, an art teacher at Plymouth, has her own beauty
blog called “B-17 Bombshell Beauty” and agrees that cosmetology
classes, incorporated with an art education, could be beneficial to
students.
She said, “Depending on how it’s handled, there are a lot of
connections between cosmetology and art. For example, if you’re
dyeing somebody’s hair blonde, you’ll want to tone it with lavender,
and that is directly related to color theory. Hair cutting is related to
sculpture, looking for shapes and overall appearance. When it comes
to makeup you’re dealing with highlights, lowlights and contouring;
this again relates to color theory for what works with skin tones.
You’re also worwking with brushes and you’re learning painting
techniques, like how to blend. I could absolutely see art elements and
art education being incorporated into cosmetology education.”
“If cosmetology classes were offered as an art credit at The Park
I would definitely take them! I’ve seen pictures on Twitter of before
and after makeup application and I think it would be really cool to
learn how to do that,” said Allison Pascalo, a Plymouth junior.
In a survey of a random group of girls at the Park, 95 percent said
they would take a cosmetology class offered as an art credit.
“If auto shop classes are offered, I don’t see why cosmetology
classes aren’t offered too. They’re obviously an art form and I think a
lot of students, both guys and girls, could benefit from these classes”,
said Breanne Hanselman, Plymouth junior.
Unrealistically bad puns vol. 5;
Back to the basics
By Nick Blandford
Online Editor
After two months of special holiday themed jokes that made you sigh on every read, we now return to
your regularly scheduled program, the bad jokes you know and love and hate. Also, if you thought they
couldn’t get any worse, you were terribly wrong.
1. Archaeologist: a person whose career lies in ruins.
2. A ship carrying a cargo of red paint collided with a ship carrying a cargo of purple paint. Both crews
were marooned.
3. Did you hear about the two men from the monastery who opened a fast-food seafood restaurant?
One was the fish friar, the other was the chip monk.
4. I changed my iPod’s name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.
5. I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.
6. I’m not a fan of Velcro; it’s such a rip off.
7. What is the definition of a will? (Come on, it’s a dead giveaway!)
8. Four fonts walk into a bar. The bartender yells, “Hey, get out of here, we don’t like your type around
here!”
9. My friend who sells phones for a living just got married. The reception was excellent.
10. I went on a field trip to the Faygo factory here in Michigan. To my surprise, there were no pop
quizzes.
11. What do you call a cow who doesn’t give milk? A Milk Dud. You could also say that said cow was
an udder failure.
12. Old photographers never die. They just stop developing.
13. I worked in a toy store once, and we had a giant crate of stuffed animals. There was a sign that read
“Do not feed the animals, they’re already stuffed.”
14. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, “dam.”
Have a pun of your own? Send it to us! You could be in the next issue. Email Nick Blandford at [email protected] and the staff will pick the best ones. Stay punny, P-CEP.
B6
The Perspective/ March 20, 2015
PLYMOUTH-CANTON
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
STUDENTS RECEIVE 10% OFF WHEN THEY SHOW SCHOOL ID
CANTON
5946 N. SHELDON RD
734-254-9846
OPEN 24 HOURS
(located behind Lowe’s Center - Sheldon & Ford)