Andover Shield October 2009

shieldOctober 2009 4200 Andover Rd, Bloomfield Hills MI 48302 Volume XLVII

clubs

New club to collaborate with student leadershipLeaders Helping Leaders club will promote school spiritChelsea Jollydistribution manager

Musical not double-castedSingle-casted lead roles will simplify rehearsals and reduce costsLauren Hendricksonsenior advisor/web page editor

It’s a club where members will help with student leader-ship events.

Pamela Penslersenior

Competitive winterguard starts at Lahser > A5

Model High School moves to a new location > A3

Buried deep in the foot of her bed is a box. “I had this cheap little Polaroid camera, and I took a some pictures just to document it,” says Margaret ‘Peg’ Pasternak, as she remembers September 11, 2001, the day she climbed on top of her apartment building which overlooked what was left of the World Trade Center. “I almost never look at those photos, and I don’t know why.” She stores the pictures in that box. Eight years after experiencing this event which resulted in one of the largest number of casualties on American soil, Pasternak reflects on her life-altering experience. “I was going to work and was a little late, as usual. I got off the subway and, as soon as I went up the stairs, I saw people on the street,” says Pasternak, who on the morning of September 11, woke

up expecting a normal day of work at Paine Webber Stock Broker Agency where she was an administrators assistant. “I was right down in the Wall Street area. Literally, businessmen with suitcases were running toward me, and then I saw stuff flying in the sky and thought it was a ticker tape parade, but it wasn’t. “After we heard the first plane hit, just a few minutes later, I was looking up at the trade center, about a block away, and I saw the second plane hit,” she says. “It’s the kind of thing that you just can’t describe, there is just no real way, it’s just surreal. “I wasn’t even terrified. It was just so bizarre to see something like this happen. I used to watch a lot of movies and I thought, ‘oh my god two planes have now, somehow, come to Manhattan and hit the World Trade Center,’ and I immediately thought, if two planes can come across whatever security we have then more planes are coming.’” As the day ended, Pasternak walked five blocks down to the East River to view Manhattan from her apartment in Greenpoint, at the northern most

point of Brooklyn.

here is a new member to add to the

student leadership family. “Leaders Helping Leaders (LHL) is a club created as an extension to Student Leadership in order to have other students at Andover be-come a part of a group that will help change An-dover’s future,” says co-sponsor Krista Laliberte. “The club will work collabora-tively with Stu-dent Leadership to help promote school spirit, increase atten-dance at sporting events, and any other event or fundraiser that Andover par-takes in.” Coming up with the idea during her sophomore year, senior Pamela Pensler worked the next year trying to solidify spon-sorship. “When Pamela came to us with her proposal, I thought it was an awesome idea because it will get more students to be a part of the bigger picture of what Andover is and should be,” says Laliberte. “I thought it was great because it is student led and student driven. It’ll be in an open environment and a safe place for kids to be able to talk about their concerns and ways to better our school community.”

John Glancy, Oakland County resident, has leukemia and is currently at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. Without the efforts of people like Andover senior Travis Sinclair, he would not have had the strength to survive his bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy. But Glancy is only one of the many people that Sinclair has helped through

holding a Red Cross blood drive in Bloomfield Hills. The Blood Drive was held on June 30 in the Andover High School Fieldhouse. Sinclair collected an impressive 41 pints of blood and earned $500 worth of scholarship funds from the Red Cross, which will be paid directly to the college of his choice. “I think that it’s an excellent program because it encourages kids to help their community by getting people to come give blood,” says Sinclair. “It’s just a great way to give back to your community, and it also shows a lot of leadership

potential.” Sinclair’s driving force was nothing less than touching. “I did it because my godmother [had] developed Stage IV breast cancer and needed a lot of blood. She [ underwent] a couple of blood transfusions. That was one of my main motivating factors for running this blood drive, to give blood in honor of my g o d m o t h e r ’ s name,” explains Sinclair.

Andrew Panstaff writer

> A5see BLOOD

Rather than double-casting, or assigning two students to each lead role, the directors of Thoroughly Modern Mil-lie, Roberta Campion and Bruce Snyder, have decided to single-cast. “The bottom line is that I don’t think the male roles in this show could have been double-casted and, as far as the female roles, there were some close calls, but as far as I am concerned, no actual ties,” says Campion is in her 34th year of directing Andover musicals and plays. “If we had two people doubled up, we would have to do double the rehearsals. We single-casted for the simplic-

ity of it all,” says Campion. Another consideration is that, “costs increase when you have to spend on two costumes.” Campion also had to consider the available talent in comparison to the number of male and female lead roles. “Because this show has four female leads, I don’t think we could have double-casted all of them. There’s an edu-cational reason to double-cast, as there are more oppor-tunities for students to have a lead. But you have to have some kind of parameters. The parameters, in this case, are the auditions.” Campion further explains that “just like in an orchestra, you can only have one first-chair unless it’s an out-in-out, dead-heat tie, and in this case there weren’t any.”

Art teacher Margaret Pasternak reminisces the tragic dayJake Gordonco-editor in chief

After hard work on Blood Drive, senior Travis Sinclair earns $500 scholarship fund

According to Pensler, LHL is more than just an additional Student Leadership. “It’s a club where members will help with student leadership events like helping us plan their senior Prom, charity week, Homecoming, the blood drive, and Make a Differ-ence Day, she says. “We have once or twice a month meetings in Mrs. Laiberte’s room, room 228, and ev-eryone is welcome.” The club’s first meeting October 8th it attracted around 30 mem-bers, but both Lalibetre and Pensler hope attendance increases. “It’s a great way to get involved,” says junior Chrissy Cox. “I think everyone else should do

it because it’s a lot of fun, it’s a great way to meet n e w p e o -p l e , a n d m a k e our school better.” As stu-dent lead-ership rep-r e s e n t a t i v e junior Allison Capilli shares that those in the student leadership class also attend

club meeting. “We can help, give more ideas, and thoughts,” she ex-plains. “Everyone should join be-cause everyone has different ideas and views to make school and spon-sored events even better.” Pensler concludes that being in the student leadership family for less than a month, she believes the club is making great strides and that it is important for everyone to have a place where everyone’s voice matters. For more information about LHL contact Pamela Pensler or co-spon-sors Mrs. Laliberte or Mrs. Blair.

A5see 9/11

new picture

creating a

Giving blood for scholarships

-New posters in the math hallway A3

-Importance of cur-fews for teens A4

-Rehearsing for Modern Millie A6

-Mr. Reed grows his hair for a cure B6

-Michalski practices

Chio Kwang Do C2

Make a Difference DayOctober 24, 2009

T

> A5see CASTING

newsA2

Battling the breaking Michigan promise

Why are they taking the money? People with high scores deserve the scholarships.

-Tierra Kelly, junior

That’s unbeliev-able. I’m going to talk to my cousin (Carl Levin) about it. We are the future of this country and we need help.

-Ben White Levin, sophomore

Students may no longer recieve scholarship grants of $4,000

Our turn

Your turn:

Increased spending on education can help to prepare people for white collar jobs.

Editors-in-Chief:Jake Gordon

Bridget Sanders

Managing Editor:Jessica Ranke

Senior Advisors:Saloni Godbole

Lauren HendricksonAndrew Weiner

Junior Advisor:Rachel Rohr

Web Editors:Lauren Hendrickson

Kyle Kavanagh

Graphics:Kyle Kavanagh

Copy Editor:Alex Chudler

Photographers:Madeline McIlhon

David Yu

Business Manager:Gabe Menchaca

Distribution Manager:Chelsea Jolly

News Page Editors:Talia Goldman

Pamela PenslerAlana Tabak

Sports Page Editors:Emily LangnasLauren LewisMatt Luckoff

Life Page Editors:Melanie Greenspan

Marley KaltEmma Reidsma

Sara Smoler

Staff Illustrator:Josh Loney

Staff Writers: Jarred Bratley Sam Gordon Ashley DuBois Nicole Kiester Emma Enache Kaya Koscielny James Feuereisen Summer Krinsky Audrey Fotouhi Andrew Pan Joudeh Freij Derek Wolfe Michael Georgizas Anna Zambelli Elizabeth Glenn

Advisor:Christina Hammitt

The Michigan Promise has been broken. Due to an enormous budget deficit of $2.8 billion within the state government, lawmakers decided on September 23 to cut the Michigan Promise Scholarship in order to save $140 million, according to the Detroit News. Enacted in 2006, Promise Scholarship grants of $4,000 were given to Michigan high school graduates who completed two years of postsecondary education and received qualifying scores on the Michigan Merit Exam. According to the Michi-gan Promise website, 96,000 students currently rely on the money to help pay tuition, but now they, as well as fu-ture college students, are out of luck. Cutting the Michigan Promise is com-pletely unacceptable. For many under-privileged students throughout Michi-gan, $4,000 can make the difference between going to college and staying home. Four thousand dollars is as much as 21 percent of Michigan State’s annual tuition, and 17 percent of Michigan’s. Student loans are an option, but then stu-dents graduate with thousands of dollars of accumulated debt that cannot be for-given, even in bankruptcy. About two-thirds of undergradu-ates graduate with debt, and the average student leaves col-lege with between $20,000 and $25,000 in debt. Every little bit helps in paying for college, and even a grant as small as $4,000 can help prevent students from drowning in unpaid loans. Not many things can lift Michigan out of its current crisis. However, increased spending on education can help by pre-paring more people for white-collar jobs. President Obama said in his speech at a community college on September 21 that education is key to economic success. According to Obama, jobs that require at least an associate’s degree will grow twice as fast as those that do not require one, and

people with a college degree are likely to earn 90 per-cent more than those without one. It would be smart for the Michigan government to encourage students to continue their schooling, but they have chosen to do the exact opposite. In addition, by giving money only to students who attend college in Michigan, more people

are persuaded to stay in state, stimu-lating the local economy even more.

Without this enticement, many stu-dents and potential workers will leave in search of cheaper alternatives in a state that actually balanced its budget. Governor Jennifer Granholm said in a press release on October 1 that she will veto any bill that does not include the Michigan Promise, but with enough votes, the House and Senate can over-ride her. At the moment, there is a pos-sibility that the Michigan Promise will be reinstated, but it is not very likely. There are many options that the gov-ernment can choose in order to keep the Promise Scholarships. Accord-ing to the Detroit Free Press, there is over $400 million left from the federal stimulus that could cover the cost, but

officials want to save it for next year. If the scholarships were simply cut in half to $2,000, only $70 million could be taken from the savings. The government could also raise money to pay for the program by placing taxes on sports tickets, pop, tobacco and bottled water. They could also implement a graduated income tax, or cut the filming incentives. New taxes are unpopular across the board, but sacrifices must be made in order to keep the Promise. Without the allure of the scholarship money, the MME becomes a pointless test forced upon students. No matter how much debt the state is in, a promise is a promise, and breaking one is simply shameful.

cartoon by Josh Loney

Then what’s the point of taking the test? It seems like a fake push to get us to study for it.

-Taylor Henkin & Matanya Kidron,seniors

Check out The Andover Shield online at

www.andovershield.com

What is your opinion on the elimination of the Michigan Promise Scholarship?

staff

Psych!

news A3

Model thrives in its new environment at former Hickory Grove Elementary SchoolMarley Kaltlife page editor Over the noise of opposing sides of the elementary school debates, it was easy to forget one important point: what is happening to Model High School? The school, available part-time for both Andover and Lahser students, moved from West Hills Middle School to Hickory Grove, a former elementary school. “Model moved schools because of the district wide building reconfiguration. There was no longer room for us at West Hills,” says Model Principal Bill Boyle. “At first I was resisting [moving], but I did not want to be that person who hated change,” says Model secretary Linda Hutchinson. “I tried to embrace it. I thought that I wouldn’t like it, but I actually do.” Staff members say that moving did not come without its difficulties. “Moving itself is a challenge,” Boyle says. “Another challenge has been to get the teachers in the right rooms to best utilize the space, and we want to integrate the commons area to use it for learning and support.” “The difficulty was that the move was a few days before it was supposed to be, but it was well organized. We had been packing for weeks,” says Model teacher Bruce Kezlarian. “We were excited to move into a bigger area. We had been here and knew what it was like.” “The date kept moving up on us,” says Hutchinson. “The kids hadn’t been completely gone in June, teachers hadn’t gotten their grades in, and when the movers started moving some of

Model High School changes buildings

our stuff, Hickory Grove wasn’t ready for us. Everybody was trying to tiptoe around everybody else.” Even considering the challenges of the move, members of the Model staff are able to see the advantages of being at Hickory Grove. “At Hickory Grove, we are more centralized, which cuts down on bus costs,” says Boyle. “There is also more room.” “We have a lot more space and a lot more storage,” says Hutchinson. “We have more storage than I know what to do with. Before, our storage space was about the size of a one-person bathroom. Now, we have storage closets everywhere.” One of the main differences between West Hills and Hickory Grove is the commons area, now located in the Hickory Grove media center. “The media center is about three times the size of our West Hills space. It’s a little more broken up; we weren’t sure we were going to like it. But it’s working okay,” says Hutchinson. “At West Hills there was a pit area for gathering and a long hallway with the classrooms. Here, it is a huge advantage that the rooms are around the commons,” says Boyle. “For example, Bruce [Kezlarian] can have a class working inside his room and also be able to monitor students working independently in the commons area. Before, Linda or I would be watching students [in the pit at West Hills] and

AtHickoryGrove,wearemorecentralized,whichcutsdownonbuscosts.Thereisalsomoreroom.

Bill BoyleModelprincipal

BryceHenney(11),AlexaEllis(12),ChadCutler(11),LaurenCarden(12)andJessicaGutman(12)takeadvantageoftheModelcommonsarea.

Imboden teaches historical mathFamous mathematicians are incorporated into this year’s curriculum

Researching Euclid, Descartes and Pythagoras in Mr. Imboden’s math class, sophomore Harrison Kenum will be learning more than formulas by focusing on the history behind them. After receiving a mini $250 grant from the Detroit Area Counsel of Teachers of Mathematics (DACTM), Andover math teacher Derek Imboden purchased eight posters of mathematicians, which he will now tie into his Algebra 2 curriculum. “I wanted it to be visual because I found myself always referring to Descartes but with nothing to point to,” he says. “I put up posters all over my room of mathematics and I thought it would be nice to have posters of some of the guys behind it.” In order to incorporate the posters into the curriculum, students are asked to do research on a specific mathematician each month. “With eight posters, we are using four first semester and four second semester. They are in order by era. So we start with the ancients, then one in the medieval time period, then the Renaissance, then in the1800’s,” says Imboden. “Each month the students do research on that mathematician and put up sentences of research on the back wall. The contest is to see which class can do the most research on the mathematician of the month.”

At the end of each month, the class with the most research done earns bonus points. In addition, the class with the most contests won by the end of the semester will be rewarded with what Imboden refers to as a ‘delicious review session’ filled with learning, fun, and food. “When we won we were all extremely happy because we got extra credit points and bragging rights, which made my friends really angry,” says Kenum, a student from the first month’s winning class. “The posters give us a clear example of what we need to learn for each section and then help us narrow down what we need to study and it’s a good teaching technique.” Imboden hopes that this new program will encourage students to continue to do research in mathematics in additional math classes in future years. “As these students go on to higher mathematics and they are for example, looking at a De Moivre’s theorem in Pre Calc, I think my students will be more motivated to say, “Well who is this guy, who is De Moivre?” says Imboden. “They will be a little more interested in mathematics as a field of study rather than just how do I solve the next problem.” Andover math teacher Eric Klein agrees. “I think [the posters] are great because they make kids more curious about math. It reminds us that math came from somewhere and that all of these things that we are studying at one point popped into somebody’s head so using the posters you get to see who it was and research what they discovered. And they look sweet!”

Emily Langnassports page editor

Biff celebrates 33rd birthdayThe Biff gets a facelift and holds a benefit concert in honor of its birthday

88.1 WBFH, “The BIFF,” Andover’s award-winning student radio station celebrated its 33rd birthday on October 1 with a facelift and a benefit concert to support the Biff E d u c a t i o n a l Enhancement Fund. S t a t i o n m a n a g e r Pete Bowers explains that the changes provide more func t iona l i ty and a better layout for the students. “We went out and bought a new s o u n d b o a r d for Studio A, along with a few new components and new software in the On Air

studio. Mr. Carr should really get the credit for the changes, he organized the studio and put new carpeting down in the studios. We also managed to get a new piece of commercial on air software.” The concert was held on Thursday, October 1 in the Lahser Theater, with a live performance by the Beatles tribute band, The Beat Club. According to Station Operations Manager Ryan Bloom, the attendance wasn’t as they had hoped, but funds were added to the station’s makeover

budget. “One of the coolest things we got was the ability to have a producer fielding our calls into the station, and being able to converse real time with the callers on air.” says Bloom. “This will get us up to the next level.” The BIFF is now working on providing yet another year of nationally recognized programing with the help of the new equipment.

For more information about the BIFF, tune in to 88.1 f.m.

Gabe Menchacabusiness manager

would not be sure of what they were supposed to be doing.” The new building provides more opportunities than just space and storage. “One of the nice things is the windows. We can look outside,” says Hutchinson. “We have a nice nature view.” “I saw a coyote [outside of my classroom window],” says Kezlarian. “Some of the students called me over to look at it. The next hour, it came back and was chasing geese around the field.”

Some students feel the move is bittersweet. “I like the commons area better [at Hickory Grove]. There is more room,” says senior Bethany Friedman. “But there is no parking.” “There are more places to sit in the commons area,” agrees senior Laura Wartel. “But I preferred the location at West Hills. The traffic is really bad in the morning so it’s hard to get to

school on time. Also, there is only one bathroom.” Hutchinson also feels a little nostalgic for the West Hills building. “The move was very emotional,” says Hutchinson. “People own their space; it becomes theirs. None of this is mine yet. My desk was the media center librarian’s. We just use it.” The move to Hickory Grove is being looked at positively by the staff. “For us, it’s a simple thing,” says Boyle. “We like it here.”

Thechangesprovidemorefunctionalityandabetterlayoutforthestudents.

A change of direction began on October 14 and 15 as the 2009-2010 forensics team’s two multiples Blood Brothers and Next to Normal held their annual auditions. Instead of encoun-tering the traditional lighthearted cuts and animated song selections, students were in-troduced to a more serious tone. Head coach Danielle Harsh explains that the seven stu-dent directors chose more serious pieces be-cause selections with significant messages or themes tend to be more successful in com-petitions versus those of pure entertainment. “In my career overall, more serious pieces are chosen over comedic ones,” tells Steve Marsh, the executive director of Michigan In-terscholastic Forensic Association. “There is no type of piece that automatically does bet-ter; the real issue is if the piece is done well.” Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, one of the lon-gest-running works of musical theatre in his-

newsA4

Multiple

Above: Jacob Ruby (10) begins his audition for this year’s multiple under close watch by the multiple directors. Below: Michael Linden (11) prepares for his audition outside the classroom by memorizing lines..

Magic

Senior directors present Next to Normal and Blood Brothers

Photos by Andrew Weiner

Pamela Penslernews page editor

tory, caught the attention of senior co-director Charlie Frank while vacationing this past summer. “[Because of all the publicity it was getting] I saw [Blood Brothers] in London,” says Frank. “The gen-eral feel of the piece, the characters and how it is presented on stage makes it a good piece to make a multiple because it is pretty easy to cut down into 15 minutes and have 8 characters play the roles.” “It is an unusual story and has music you want to hear,” adds assistant forensics coach Jan Frank. “I just think it has the elements of a successful mul-tiple because of more attention to the audience.” Senior co-director Kendall Day believes that now that final casts have been post-ed, things are beginning to fall into place. “All of the cast members portray the charac-ters as they should be. It will be a little more of a challenge [having] similar pieces but I think it will help us. While Anastasia (the 2009 state fi-nalist) was a little goofier, I think our cast mem-bers will get more in character then those set in a goofy piece. It is easy to stay in character and have that [serious] mindset for 15 minutes.” For senior co-director Marlee Rich, choosing her directorial piece was like falling in love at first sight. “I came across Next to Normal from one of my friends. When I bought the music, I fell in love. When I saw it in New York this past summer, I was certain that this would be the best piece to do, but

character is so unique. We are ready for the challenge, and hopefully we will end up with a fantastic multiple.” Frank sums up both multiples’ goals. “We both want to regain the state championship, which will be a big chal-lenge. I want to try to get the foren-sics team and multiples more pumped up and in higher spirits for competi-tions. I cannot wait for the experience.”

we were convinced we were not going to be able to do it because we could not find the script,” she explains. “Now that we found the script, I am just as passionate, if not more pas-sionate, about our multiple.” According to senior co-di-rector Hannah Cardin, when she first heard of Rich’s idea of Next to Normal, she supported the idea fully. “I was so happy when we got the script,” says Cardin. “But it made me a little bit stressed out, because it’s such a big Broadway production. We have a lot to live up to. Now that the multiple is cast and cut, ev-eryone is very anxious to get the season started.” According to Rich, this 2009 Broadway musi-cal, which was nominated for a total of eleven Tony awards including Best Musical, is more than rock music. It is a serious play whose message centers on how families need to work together to overcome issues and look towards the future. “Everyone has a lot of work cut out for them,” says Rich. “Each team member is going to do a lot of exploration on each character because each

news A5

And contrary to what one might believe, organizing the blood drive was not an incredibly difficult task. It just took a bit of time, effort, and interpersonal skills. “I spent a month, at least, calling and emailing people to try to get enough appointments to make this successful. [But] it’s not that hard. You just have to be willing to call people; you have to be willing to talk to people you don’t know. That was a big thing—I had to call a lot of people I had never met in my life, but they’re all very nice. You just have to explain everything and find times that work with them,” says Sinclair. “A lot of really great people came,” he adds. “I made a conscious effort to go over to the cookie table every once in a while and talk to them, thanking them for taking time out of their day to come help.” Giving blood may be more relevant to our lives than we think. “Childhood leukemia is on the rise. Obviously, people need blood, the family cannot provide it every time. A lot of people get knocked out of donating blood for doing everyday things. I never would have thought that if we were on a cruise boat and got off in Cozumel, Mexico, we couldn’t donate blood,” says certified nurse Missy Farnen, whose brother-in-law, John Glancy, has needed donated blood. “I can guarantee that almost every kid who goes home and asks their parents [will find that] their parents would know somebody in their family that at one point needed [blood], that someone they love needed it. “High school students need to realize that their blood is used for the children’s hospitals. Because of their age, they’ve been exposed to fewer viruses, so it makes it a little bit safer for infants and children, so it makes them extra-special donors,” says Carol Furlong, local director of the Red Cross in Southeastern Michigan. “Ninety-five percent of people will need a blood product in their lifetime. If we don’t start getting people to donate now, it could end up becoming a problem when [the current generation of kids] are older and need blood products.” Looking back at a what he considers to be a successful blood drive, Sinclair says, “It was definitely worth all the work. I encourage other people to do this. You just have to think about the difference you’re making. Your pint of blood can save three people’s lives. Who knows, some day that could be you lying in the hospital, and if there wasn’t enough blood, something could happen to you. It’s just a great way to give back to your community.”

A new type of competition is coming to Bloomfield Hills this year. Lahser has had an intramural winter guard for years, but now a competitive joint team will combine Andover and Lahser for the first time. Winter guard performs using dance, acrobatics, and props. They toss, spin, and dance with their equipment throughout the show. Color guard has been part of both Andover and Lahser for as long as marching band has existed. Color guard is a part of the marching band, but winter guard is a whole separate concept. Andover has always had a color guard, but since they could not find a coach for a winter guard, they are joining with Lahser. “The color guard performs with the marching band, but winter guard is solely a guard event. The entire focus is on the flags,” says Lahser color guard coach, Brenda Scarpati. “I’m hooked.” Scarpati was on guard in high school in 1976 and was the captain her senior year. When her daughter’s school, Hopewell High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, started a winter guard, she stepped up and took the assistant coaching position, helping the team place third in their division in their first year

competing. The team also won the ‘Sport of the Art’ award for embracing the meaning of winter guard and demonstrating great sportsmanship, according to Winter Guard International. This year, there will be two parts to the Lahser winter guard program, which will now include Andover (Andover and Lahser will perform on the same team). The first part is the ‘club’ aspect; anyone interested in learning to flag can join. They will meet once a week to prepare a performance for the Lahser Holiday and Spring Concerts. The second part of the winter guard will be a competitive team, the first one that Bloomfield Hills School District has ever had. It will be a joint team consisting of students from Lahser, Andover, and possibly International Academy. They will be part

of the Michigan Color Guard Circuit (MCGC), which is governed by Winter Guard International (WGI), and will participate in Open Level competitions starting in January. Since the team is more intense than the club, they will rehearse twice a week for two hour sessions and will have Saturday competitions. Lahser color guard member, Katy Gwizdala says that she is “interested in the team

because of the experience of competing. I have not done sports in high school and I would like the thrill of being judged.” For anyone interested, the winter guard club meets every Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Lahser band room. Auditions for the competitive winter guard team will be held at 4:30 on October 26 at Lahser. For more information, contact Brenda Scarpati (Coach B) at [email protected].

Flagging with the Pros

Andover and Lahser join together to com-pete in Winter guardAudrey Fotouhistaff writer

The color guard performs with the marching band, but winter guard is solely a guard event. The entire focus is on the flags.

Ashley Fry practices a toss after school at Winter guard.

After practicing her routine, captain Sara Laffin finally got it down to perfection.

Sara Laffin, Maddi Kramer, and Ashley Fry warm up their wrists with tosses and drop spins during their first Winter Guard informational meeting at Lahser High School.

Bringing a smileNew club aims to help children with a cleft lip

Ally Luke and Jessica Chen are making children smile. “We were watching NYC Prep,” explains Luke. “This one girl does a whole huge fashion show in New York City for Operation Smile, and we were like, ‘oh, it would be cool to have a club like that at Andover.’” With this inspiration, Luke and Chen decided to start Operation Smile, in affiliation with the worldwide char-ity that helps children in third-world countries get surgery for their cleft lip or palette. Founded in 1982, Opera-tion Smile has gone to 51 countries and has over 500 student associations. “We wanted to do something that gives back,” explains Chen. “And that would be fun, like fundraisers.” Since seeing the show, the two co-presidents have been developing club ideas, such as work-ing with other Operation Smile Clubs in the area. “We’ve emailed a few people,” Luke says. “We found this one group around us who does a big fashion show and we were hop-ing to colaborate with them. Basi-cally, when we get our club together, we’ll take ideas from everybody.”

By the time we graduate, I hope people want to continue this.Ally Lukesophomore

Before beginning their fashion show or even getting their club started, Luke and Chen had to get a sponsor. “I think it’s a wonderful idea for a great cause,” says math teacher Megan Samhat. “I think [Opera-tion Smile] is a great way for the kids to come together to do something good. I’m excited about doing it and I wanted to be a sponsor for this club.” Working to raise money for cleft palette surgeries is not new for Andover’s clubs. According to Candace Toma, Spanish Club and Care and Share have raised money for the Smile Train in the past. “[The tradition] was started years ago by Senora Kulhavi. I carried on the tradition. It’s been a goal to do at least one surgery per year, one from Span-ish Club and one from Care and Share,” Toma says. “It’d be nice to join forces

[with Operation Smile].” Even though the Spanish Club has giv-en operations to kids through Smile Train, Chen has different plans for Operation Smile. “The Smile Train is a different organization,” Chen says. “We wanted to branch out and have our own [club] that focus-es on just raising money.” “[We] think it will ben-

efit not just us and the kids, but the school and the community. We hope that by the time we graduate people will want to continue on,” Luke says. Look for the first meeting soon. For more information on Operation Smile, visit www.operationsmile.org.

Talia Goldmannews page editor

from A1BLOOD: Sinclair

Snyder shares a historical perspective on double-casting. He says, “We never created double-cast-ing as a permanent institution. It depends on the demands of the roles of each par-ticular show. We only felt compelled to double-cast when there was a lot of talent for a limited number of roles.” He adds, “In general, no one likes [dou-ble-casting]. It is more work for everybody and is an extreme measure to take.” Senior Marlee Rich, who plays the role of Millie, sees positive and negative aspects to single-casting. “It’s going to be really fun to do six shows, but I also think that it’s going to be a lot of pressure. If I get sick or injured and I can’t perform, then the show would suffer. Without double-casting, people have fewer opportunities.” A similar view is expressed by senior Courtney Catcho, who plays another fe-male lead named Muzzy. “A positive aspect of single-casting would be that the person gets six shows and all the actors get used to working with the same person,” says Catcho. “It also re-duces stress over costuming two different people for the same part. However, there’s always a risk involved. I’ve never been involved in a performance where some-one was so sick that they could not go on stage, but I’m sure, if that were the case, they would probably just have to go with it, get on stage, and perform.” There is a large risk with single-casting. As Snyder observes, “We have no under-studies. We have no backup plan. We just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.”

from A1

CASTING: Thoroughly Modern Millie

Eight years later, she still recalls the inconceivable blanket of silence which had fallen over the city, one she had never expected. The only auditory distraction available was the sound of the sirens going to and from Ground Zero. Everything was quiet, everything was gone. “The idea of art, the material object, the quality of it, something was gone for me. There was so much human tragedy that day, that for a couple of years after, I could not paint. I couldn’t make art anymore. It didn’t seem important to me, not as important as people,” says Pasternak. However, after years of difficulty, including waking up in the middle of the night screaming, Pasternak finally realized a way to combine her passion for art and her new-found desire to help those around her, which finally brought her to Bloomfield Hills. “Up until 9/11, [Pasternak’s] intent was to be an artist in New York,” says her father Dr. Andrew Pasternak. “After 9/11, she started thinking more about young people and passing her talents onto them.” Pasternak, now living in Royal Oak, received her Teacher’s certificate from University of Michigan- Flint, and now works in the Bloomfield Hills School District. Recently, she has been teaching Art Explorations and Graphic Design at Andover after teaching three years at Lahser High School.

“[Experiencing 9/11] was the absolute worst and absolute best thing that could have happened to me in my life,” Pasternak says. “Sometimes you need something like that to happen, because it snaps you into reality and makes you realize what’s important to you. It made me realize that I wanted to come home and be with my family.” Although Lahser Senior Anne Jannott recognizes the difficulties that Pasternak has gone through, she also has realizes how lucky she is to have Pasternak as a teacher, “She has made me feel more comfortable expressing myself. She has a lot in common with me and she is different than the other teachers because of the commonalities. She takes interest in me and encourages me to express myself in different ways,” says Jannott. After seeing how much her artwork has helped her to cope with this traumatic experience, Pasternak hopes to help her students to do the same. “Kids have mental blocks and get very hung up because somewhere along the line, they were taught that they were not good at art. I want them to see past that, because we are all creative people. I just want people to be in touch with their creativity, and to feel comfortable [with themselves]. That’s my goal.”

from A1

9/11: Pasternak

newsA6

odernadnessM

Above: The female chorus, including Marisa Cicurel (9), rehearses the dance for “Forget about the Boy,” a song in Act II.

Far left: Dance captain Danielle Beaujon (11) models a pose for Bethany Friedman (12).

Left: Bruce Synder, co-director of Thoroughly Modern Millie, directs the pit orchestra. This will be his and Roberta Campion’s 32nd Andover musical.

Left: Vocal coach Rita Jury works with the female chorus for the show. They rehearse the number “Forget About the Boy.” The girls play office workers and stenographers.

Far right: As Tessa Cannel (12) plays the piano, Courtney Catcho (12) and Chip Miller (11) practice the song Life is a Holiday for the

debut of the musical on November 13.

Right: The technical crew works on

Millie’s 20 separate set pieces, a huge undertaking.

Mid-November marks the debut of Millie’s

adventures in the fall musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, whose

production is chronicled by the Shield.

illie

Left: Rachel Pad, 11, tries on a wig for size. Over 40 wigs will be used in the production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Photos by Andrew WeinerText by Saloni Godbole and Andrew Weiner

ed. They were delicious. Soon after finishing the edamame, my waiter set down a large white platter of su-shi. Each order was covered in eel sauce, a sweet brown sauce, which is normally an extra charge at other restaurants. Hands down, this was some of the best sushi I have ever had. All of the fish and oth-er ingredients tasted extremely fresh. The rolls were much bigger than I am used to, so I was full when the meal was over. My favorite roll was the California crunch roll (crab and avocado inside, tempura crunch and eel sauce outside). The tempura crunch on the outside was perfectly crisp but not too greasy. The perfect blend of crab and avocado also added to the roll’s great taste. The service was just as incredible as the sushi. My waiter, Kevin, was very helpful in determining which rolls to order and was al-ways there to fill my glass as soon as it was getting low. Overall, with a great atmosphere, delicious food and prompt service, I’d roll on over to Birmingham Sushi any time.

I consider myself a sushi connoisseur. I have sampled a plethora of different sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, New York, To-ronto, and even São Paulo, Brazil. Even with great restaurants all over the world, one of the best I have tried is at Birmingham Sushi Cafe. On October 1, Birmingham Sushi Cafe opened its doors for the first time in down-town Birmingham on Hamilton Row. After passing by the front of the restaurant before its opening, I was excited to try it. When I first walked in, I was taken back by the restaurant’s decor. I was not expecting it to be so chic. The little cafe had a rustic ambiance with modern hanging lamps illu-minating the tables. There were dark ma-hogany wood columns separating the booths and modern art pieces on the walls.

Meditation makes Model curriculum > B2

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Birmingham Sushi Cafe delights dinersAlana Tabaknews page editor

New Birmingham restaurant rolls out sushi

lifeB

Human spirit

overcomesA Hurricane Katrina victim remains optimistic

Andrew Weinersenior life advisor

Katrina forced her out of her house. Her elderly mother and granddaughter relocated to Tennessee, unable to return without a house to go back to. The contractor she hired stole $80,000. Undeterred, she pulled together what was left of her savings and invested her hopes in another contractor. This time, not only did the contractor take $40,000, he significantly sunk the home’s foundation and stole several large appliances. She spent nearly $120,000 and ended up with her house in worse condition than when she began and no place to live. This is where I met Patrcia Armant, or as she asked us to call her, Ms. Pat. As part of the two weeks I spent in New Orleans this summer I worked construction on her house.

The home was finally n e a r i n g complet ion when I a r r i v e d , thanks to v o l u n t e e r s a n d professionals Ms. Pat had once again put her faith in. My group had the pleasure and privilege

of surprising her with the news that her home would be ready in less than a month. Jaded from her previous experiences, she hadn’t seen the house in over a year and didn’t want any updates. We had heard so much about her, finally meeting her in person was incredible. At our meeting with Ms. Pat, I was inspired by how vivacious and happy she was, you never would have guessed the hardship she had been through. She called us all “my babies” and even sang us a thank-you song. Seeing someone with such a positive outlook on life after having such horrible luck for several years is incredible and humbling. She happily told her story, getting emotional occasionally, but with a smile a majority of the time. Watching Ms. Pat break down and cry tears of joy at the news that she could give her landlord notice that she would be returning home is indisputably one of my most unforgettable memories. After she had put her trust in so many people, her optimism and faith paid off. In addition to the joy, I have the understanding that this is only a tiny piece of the problem, one house of 890,000 destroyed, and that more work needs to be done. But Ms. Pat’s house stands.

After 33 seconds, he defeated the infamous six-faced beast. “It started last year because I had a twelve-hour bus trip to a hockey tournament in Calumet [in the Upper Peninsula] and needed something to do,” sophomore Michael Calvas says. “[The Rubik’s Cube] came with a little booklet that helped, and I ended up going to YouTube because there were faster ways

Calvas conquers cubeSophomore expertly solves Rubik’s cube

Andrew Panstaff writer

Johnston inspires her students through guitar

Motivation through musicQuick Facts

-Johnston teaches Government and Economics

-She plays an Ibanez Acoustic Electric guitar

-Johnston began playing guitar seven months ago

-Playing guitar has been her lifelong dream

Seeing someone with such a positive outlook on life after having such horrible luck for several years is incredible and humbling.

is fingers slowly pluck across the strings, struggling to match the tune for the

Beatles song “Blackbird”. His class sits engrossed in their seats, listening to every note junior Andrew Dershem strums out of the borrowed guitar. His teacher stands next to him, guiding him through the music, encouraging him at every mistake throughout the performance. “She kept trying to reassure me I was doing well even though I knew she was better than I was,” Dershem says of

the experience. “I mean it was just cool because the reinforcement she was giving [to me while i played the guitar]—it’s kind of like what she’s doing in the classroom—it’s like she knows you can do better so she’s just going to keep pushing you and pushing you to do better.” Government teacher Vivian Johnston, who began playing the guitar about seven months ago, has recently brought her guitar into the classroom to motivate her students. She hopes that after seeing her struggle to learn new material, her students will begin to feel more comfortable participating during class and will make more of an effort to turn in their assignments. “[By bringing in my guitar and playing in front of the class] I was trying to motivate some of my students,” Johnston says. “I was telling them that I knew learning this material was a challenge for them. They had some bad test scores, or some of the kids did, and I said that I knew how that can be -- I’m sure it is very demoralizing and frustrating.”

Because Johnston has personally struggled with her effort in learning how to play the guitar, she thought that modeling her preservance with the instrument would show the students that giving up is never an option. “I don’t want [them] to give up because things are struggles in life and you have to find that the struggle is worth it.” Bringing in her Ibanez Acoustic Electric guitar, Johnston explains her goal to show the class that, “I do not play that well. But if I am asking [them] to raise [their] hand and take a risk of asking a question and maybe feeling stupid because [they] don’t know that answer, then I will also take the risk of playing the guitar in front of [them] poorly. “I guess I wanted them to see that I really do understand them. I’m in their shoes. I get the butterflies. I get choked up like they do when they are taking one of my tests or I ask them a question,” she says.

Quick Bites

-Opened October 1

-Offers dine in and carry out

-Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner

-On Hamilton Row in downtown Birmingham

-Popular dishes include: Glass Noodles, Shrimp Tempura, and Honey Chicken Salad

-Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Sushi chef John Kim makes a rainbow sushi roll at Birmingham Sushi Cafe

to solve it, but I also learned some of it intuitively. It just took a lot of practice.” Calvas was one of three students in Giorgia Anderson’s three Honors Geometry classes who were able to solve this 80’s icon. He even topped Will Smith’s 55-second cube record in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. “It’s an awesome talent,” says Theodora Calvas, Michael’s mother. “It shows he has a detailed mind and he’s able to solve complicated issues and matters. He can even solve 5x5 Rubik’s cubes.” “It deals with a visual-spatial part of your brain and is such

a good way for kids to learn and visualize things,” Anderson says. “With the Rubik’s cube, you are observing patterns and making generalizations. When he took on this Rubik’s cube, [we saw] a whole new side of the quiet, shy Michael. He was so

involved and passionate about it that he motivated a lot of other kids to start thinking [about it.]” “It’s just sort of fun to show off, to be able to go, ‘I can solve a

Rubik’s cube and you can’t,’” says Michael. “In the end, it’s something to pass the time; it’s something fun to do.”

Usually in sushi restaurants I am over-whelmed by the grandiose oriental decor and music. Birmingham Sushi cafe had small Asian accents like the oriental banner over the sushi bar and soy sauce pots on the ta-bles, but the feel is modern overall. Looking at the menu I was overwhelmed by the various choices in sushi and other entrees the restaurant offered. Some of the entrees included bibimbap which is assorted vegetables, beef, eggs and rice in a hot stone bowl with sweet spicy sauce ($13.95), chick-en teriyaki ($12.50), salmon teriyaki ($15.95), shrimp and scallop teriyaki ($19.50), filet mingon terkiyaki ($21.95) and lobster ravioli, which is lobster mousse over a lobster creme sauce with a lobster claw ($25.95). I ended up ordering a crunch California roll ($6.50), shrimp tempura roll ($7.50), a crazy roll ($6.50) and some edamame ($3.50). Al-though these prices are slightly higher than Tokyo Sushi’s (also in downtown Birming-ham), the rolls are much bigger and are made with higher quality ingredients. First the edamame (salted baby soybeans) came. It was at the perfect temperature; not cold but not too hot and it was perfectly salt-

H

JAKE GORDON/shield

sophomore Michael Calvas

PROFILE

Jessica Rankemanaging editor

>see JOHNSTON

B3

EMILY

LANG

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Vivan Johnston plays guitar for her seventh hour government class. she is currently working on mastering “Blackbird” by the Beatles.

“It is what it is.” Wait – what is “it?” Typically used to express acceptance of the seemingly inevitable, we have all heard this meaningless cliché hundreds of times. This phrase is extremely dis-missive and little more than an excuse to avoid answering a question or taking responsibility, and that is exactly why I dislike it. “I made a mistake, so it is what it is, I guess,” said Britney Spears after being caught in 2007 driving with her 16-week-old son on her lap, rather than in a car seat. If her son had been seriously injured in a car accident while positioned in Spears’ lap, would this pop star have used the same excuse? I can only imagine the public reaction if Spears were to say, “Well…my son is extremely injured. It is what it is, I guess.” In a recent October 2009 national Marist Poll, “It is what it is” was voted the third most annoying phrase to hear in conver-sation behind “whatever” and “you know,”

as the top two most ir-ritating. The survey con-cluded that 11 percent of Americans, approximate-ly 33,446,569 p e o p l e , loathe hear-ing this state-ment as the answer to a question or an excuse

for a mistake. After being pestered in 2006 about for-mer Vice President Dick Cheney’s embar-rassing hunting accident, White House press secretary, Scott McClellan said, somewhat petulantly, “We went through it thoroughly yesterday. It is what it is, and I think it’s time to move on.” Last time I checked, that is not an an-swer. The “it” – the fact that Cheney care-lessly shot Texas attorney Harry Whit-tington while quail hunting – “is what IT is.” What does that even mean? What’s done is done, and cannot be changed? Where’s the sympathy for Whittington in saying, “It is what it is?” It is almost as though McClellan was suggesting, “so what?” Those five, trite words merely provided an “easy out” for a busy political aide, who did not have the time or desire to respond to a question he could not answer without embarrassing his boss. Maybe Mr. McClellan, along with many others, should be reminded to “say what you mean, and mean what you say.” Of course, that has its problems, too. Whatever, I guess it is what it is.

Struggling through seizuresAndover junior tells the tale of how she lives with epilepsy

This phrase is ex-tremely dismissive and little more than an excuse to avoid answering a question or taking responsibil-ity, and that is exactly why I dislike it.

Lauren Hendricksonsenior sports advisor and web editor

Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic and…meditating? “Meditation is part of the class Health Psychol-ogy, where we look at techniques that connect the mind and body to take care of both at the same time,” Andrea McCoy, Health Psychology teacher at Model High School, explains as the reason why students meditate in her class. “At Harvard Medical School and other mind-body institutes, they teach the ‘relaxation response,’ which is a type of meditative technique that kicks in the opposite of the fight or flight response. [Re-laxation response] is basically what the hospitals call meditation so that people aren’t intimi-dated by the word, and is a different type of treatment.” This practice is also used in Model’s Phi-losophy class, taught by Bruce Kezlarian, who thinks it is especially important for

young adults of today. “I think there are far too many de-mands that are placed on students. I don’t think there’s enough time for young adults to be by themselves.

From a very early age, there’s this push to be involved in sports or music lessons or whatever. Not that that’s a bad thing, but they are made out to be more important

than they are, and there should be no related stress.”

Senior Hunter Cooper believes that meditation is strongly connected to his

psychology class. “When you actually experience something, instead of just reading about it, it can connect you to the

cultures behind the idea in a deeper sense. I think kids actually take it very

seriously.” For both McCoy and Kezlarian, the objectives are similar. “This is an important concept because it can help students not get held up on minor setbacks and stay focused on their larger goals, all while main-taining a positive and healthy state of mind. The big thing is to make an attempt to empty your mind, and that’s what we focus on in class, and it’s kind of a hard thing to do. It’s the idea of ‘dying every second’, that we need to leave things where they’re

at and move forward,” says Kezlarian.

According to AP Psychology teacher Vivian Johnston, “Research suggests that meditation over time reduces stress, which may reduce heart problems and immune disorders. There are definitely mental benefits which carry over into physical benefits.” Since incorporating this new form of instruction, Mc-Coy and Kezlarian have noticed a change in their stu-dents. “It’s really nice to see my students meditate in class,” says McCoy. “I’m leading them, so I’m watching them, so I look at their breath and see who’s really down and relaxed and who’s falling asleep and who’s not relaxed.

A lot of my students are integrating medi-tation into their lives on a daily basis, and they feel a lot calmer, they feel more fo-cused.” “For Adventure English, we have an overnight at a mountain,” says Kezlarian. “We meditate there by lying down on the forest carpet and doing some breathing exercises, and we listen to the sounds and try to focus on what’s happening. In-evitably, the students are very alert and receptive. I do stay in contact with my former students, and I find that medita-tion has opened them up to a new way of life - one that is more centered on the present.” Johnston says that there is a rational

explanation behind these benefits. “ In terms of brain waves, EEG readings have shown that during meditation, alpha and theta brain waves are dominant. These brain waves are associated with a state of deep relaxation or even light sleep. In terms of general physiology, heart rate, the intake of oxygen and the release of carbon dioxide all slow down.” “In fact, there was a study conducted in 2001 on Ti-betan monks whose lives were spent meditating,” con-tinues Johnston. “When their brains were analyzed, there was more activity seen in the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with attention. Also, there was an abnormally low amount of activity in the parietal lobe, which controls awareness of the body’s position in space. It makes sense that the study’s findings support that meditation allows for intense focusing and being able to be less focused on your surroundings and more focused on internal thought processes.” Cooper comments on how learning to meditate has affected his life. “I enjoy meditating on my own time after learning how to in Philosophy class. It’s a very different experi-ence that has taught me how to f o c u s and stay re-

laxed.”

lifeB2

Model incorporates a different style of learning

Research suggests that meditation over time reduces stress, which may reudce heart probelms and immune disorders. VIVIAN JOHNSTONAP Pyschology teacher

Talia Goldmannews page editor

Saloni Godbolesenior news advisor

Meditationat Model

Facts about epilepsy

-Epilepsy is also called a seizure disor-der

-Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes

-About 3 million people in the United States have a form of epilepsy

-Source: Epi-lepsy Founda-tion

Natasha Amin wanders down the aisle of her neighborhood grocery store. Sud-denly, without warning, she falls to her right and begins to shake violently. For this Andover junior, these seizures are a fact of life. “I don’t have a trigger,” Amin explains. “I don’t have to worry about lights, or stuff like that. [My seizures are] com-pletely and utterly random. The only time I know it happened is when it’s done, because I’ll wake up somewhere unusual, and my head will be throbbing. I’ll have a migraine, and my body will feel like every muscle has tensed up and weakened. I’m incapable of moving on my own. A lot of times my father or my brother will have to carry me to my bed or paramedics will have to put me on a stretcher.” Because Amin has grand mal tonic clon-

ic epilepsy, her seizures are sporadic, oc-curring when a brief surge of electrical activity affects her brain. “It was pretty devastating, very heart-breaking,” her father, Dr. Mohammed Amin ex-plains. “In the begin-ning I thought maybe [her seizures were something that] only happened once. Then it happened a second time. It didn’t go away. It just kept coming more and more. Finally, we went to a specialist and starting working on it and [have been] ever since.” Since her seizures began when she was nine years old, Amin has been work-ing with doctors and oth-ers to overcome the various problems accompanying her situation. “In middle school, people called me ‘seizure girl,’” Amin says. “That was very troubling for me; I took it very harshly. But now, people don’t really know unless

I tell them. If you meet me one day and you hang out with me, you won’t be able to tell.” Although others may not be able to tell

that Amin deals with a seizure disorder, her parents worry about her leading them to take actions trying to protect her. “Freshman year, [my par-ents] thought it was necessary to have someone follow me around, watch where I go and what I do in case anything ever happens. It was terrible; I hat-ed it. I tried to get away from her all the time,” tells Amin. However, Amin recently had an experience affecting her perspective. “It was about two months ago the first time I watched

another person in real life actually have a seizure themselves, and it was really reflective,” she says. “It kind of made me understand why my parents are so scared, or why people call an ambulance. It’s an experience. When you watch it, it’s

so different.” As Amin saw, there are physical risks involved when having a seizure, such as the victim falling on a hard surface and injuring themselves. Because of this, Amin has to take precautions. “There are many things I can’t do,” ex-plains Amin. “I have to be really careful when I’m in class. I cannot drive, which doesn’t work out so well.” Dr. Amin describes how his daughter handles the disease. “It’s obviously pretty depressing for her. Her friends can do a lot of things she cannot. But she very strong-willed and has a strong personality, [and] she has accepted it very strongly. I’m very proud of my daughter. ” According to Dr. Amin, his daughter has had epilepsy symptoms for several years now, but the possibility exists for her not to have the disease as she grows older. “We are hoping and we are praying that one day she’ll outgrow it,” says Dr. Amin. “Hopefully there will be a brighter future for her.”

Health

Hendrickson muses on overused cliché

“It is what it is”

The only time I know it happened is when it’s done, be-cause I’ll wake up somewhere unusu-al, and my head will be throbbing.

NATASHA AMIN

Fresh-man, Eve Sherbin,

practices unique yoga posi-tions, including the tree pose (top),

the standing bow pulling pose (left), the triangle pose (middle), and the half

moon (right). Students can learn these moves and othersin Model’s Philoso-

phy class and Health Phsycology class.

VS

Is he looking? Oh no. Did he see me looking? About two hundred yards down the long, white, empty hallway, is a kid walking slowly in my direction. He is not my friend. My class is down the stairs at the far end of the hall. I have to pass him. Now I’m committed. I keep walking. I can’t just turn around. What would I say? “It’s just too awkward having to walk in silence like this, so I’m just going to turn around, see ya.” No. I just have to look cool, relaxed. What’s his name? Do I say hi? Should I even acknowledge him? This kid is in one of my classes. I never really considered talking to him before this very instant. This instant while class is in session, and we are the only two people in sight. I’m not carrying anything to busy

myself with. I check the time once, twice. He’s getting closer. I recall several times I had an o p p o r t u n i t y to talk to him, yet remained silent. Does he hold it against me? All the awkwardness I’ve ever felt from being around people I don’t know seems to

have become one big knot

in the pit of my stomach. I look toward the only window in sight. I can’t see through the glass from this angle. I stare down at my pass. Ten seconds have passed. Fifteen seconds. We’re about fifteen feet away when a sudden conviction seizes me. I look up, nod. I say, “Sup?” Casual. He’s looking, nods and says, “Not much.” We pass. The next day, we’re friends; we talk now -once or twice a day. Short conversations before class. Greetings in the hallway. Two weeks later, he admits to me how awkward he felt the day we were walking down the hall. This happens to me. All. The. Time. Because my mom is a colonel in the Army and it’s part of the job, I’ve moved, on average, every two years for my whole life. If anyone knows about awkwardness with strangers, it’s me. Attending eight schools has also given me a wealth of experience on meeting new people and how to make the most of opportunities to meet people, even if it’s just passing in the hall. So, trust me when I say the best way to make new friends is to take the initiative—break the ice with a friendly hello. When trying to meet new people, joining a new club or a sport has worked for me. Regardless of how many times I’ve done it, the initial awkwardness is always there, but when the dust settles, it always turns out well.

life B3

It’s awkward meeting new peopleChanging schools can make it difficult to find friends

Xavier Barnesguest writer

Finally, It’s that time of the year again. Fall. The season of sweet cider, trick or treating, and bare trees with their bright colored leaves carpeting the ground. It’s a time for fun, and a time for fashion. It is now that time to put away the flip flops and say hello to ankle boots and cashmere sweaters. And what’s a better place to go than Forever 21? Forever 21 is a retail clothing chain offering fashion accessories and clothing for young women and teenagers. It’s a very “fashion forward” store, having tough competition with Wet Seal, Guess, Urban Outfitters, and Charlotte Russe. Not only does Forever 21 carry the perfect ideal fashions, but its distinctive, spunky atmosphere is what keeps the customers coming back for more. It makes you want to explore. Here is a personal example. It was a chilly day in August when I came to the realization that I needed to go shopping. Rushing into Somerset Mall the following day, I finally approached Forever 21. Running from rack to rack, shelf to shelf, hanger to hanger, I came across some amazing finds: scarves for those chilly days outdoors, ankle boots to wear on a night out with the girls, and even a fall coat to keep me warm. Not to mention that their jewelry was oh so cute. I managed to get two pairs of earrings for six dollars, and a necklace for five. Not to mention a key hole ribbon top for only $10.50. Talk about a bargain. Besides the great accessories, the service was very good. The workers were there to help you when you needed it, and even went the lines went by fast. Leaving Forever 21 with my head held high and a satisfied shopper “swagg”, I was very happy. I thought to myself, “Why shouldn’t I come back again?” Forever 21 is the place to shop when you want the latest styles. You can find Forever 21 at Twelve Oaks and Somerset Mall, with hours ranging from 10:00 am to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday . That is, if “fashionista” is your middle name.

Imagine you’re at Great Lakes Crossing with an hour to spend at any store you want. You’ve finally narrowed your options down to your two favorite stores: Forever 21 and H&M. Which one to pick? There’s really only one possibility. And that’s H&M. Could you even stand in a Forever 21 for an hour without getting so claustrophobic you had to leave? Probably not. The store is so cluttered with clothes racks that you can barely walk around. You’re surrounded, boxed in. Thankfully, you can escape to H&M, a store with wide spaces between its optimally located clothes racks. The clothes themselves aren’t on the floor in heaps either, like they are in that other store. Leaving H&M, you feel satisfied with your purchase. You’ve just bought high-quality fabric that will last you for some time, at prices similar to those at Forever 21. The main deciding factor—simply in the caliber of the clothing—is fabric, and Forever 21, for the most part, supplies synthetic fabrics that look poor after their first wash. Some of that difference is accounted for in the price of the clothing. H&M is slightly more expensive than Forever 21, which allows it to use better fabrics. But it also allows the company to sell better-designed and better-fitting clothes. Perhaps the most important thing that shoppers look for in clothing stores like these two is the design of the clothing. H&M has collaborated with designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney, and is planning a new line of handbags and shoes designed by Jimmy Choo (not to mention an entire collection by British designer Matthew Williamson). The styles of clothes sold there are, for the most part, comparable to those sold in Forever 21, with the exception of the outerwear, which is far superior. Stores sell both women’s and men’s clothing (but, as is usually the case, there’s more selection in women’s than men’s.) There are six stores in Michigan, the closest being in Great Lakes Crossing (Auburn Hills) and Twelve Oaks Mall (Novi). With all the advantages that H&M has to offer, you’d have to be crazy to waste your time in Forever 21.

Find the cutest fall fashions and accessories cheapest at Forever 21

H&M’s stylish, high-quality clothing makes it the best store for fall shopping

Elizabeth Glennstaff writer

Emma Enachestaff writer

Junior Danielle Beaujon models new clothing from Forever 21 (left) and H&M (right)

My mom is a colonel in the Army and I’ve moved, on average, every two years of my life. If anyone knows about awkwardness with strangers, it’s me.

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Battle of the Boutiques

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“Pink Heart Funds has designed a wig especially for chil-dren, one that stays on through their busy, active lives. The human hair wigs are made especially for children. After we have accumulated 1,000 ponytails, they are sent to a wig maker in Brooklyn, New York. We get back 90 wigs that cost Pink Heart Funds about $200 each,” she explains. Founder of Pink Heart Funds, JoAn Niceley, adds, “We want the person that has donated to know that their hair will be used for a wig not sold. Nor will the child recipi-ent be charged.” Reed reveals that it will be at least another year before his ponytail long enough and hopes that by summer 2010 it will meet the requirement. When asked if he likes his curent length of hair, he responds, “Oh my gosh, I hate it! I don’t think it looks good and I feel for young ladies who have to take care of their hair. I have always worn really short hair because I like to get out of the shower and comb it and that’s it - you don’t have to think about it.” Along with this new appreciation, Reed has noticed a change within his classes. “The funniest thing was when I came into my sym-phony orchestra class and the whole first violin section had bandannas on and I thought that was cute. I think [my students] are kind of used to it now, but when they first saw me start to grow my hair I got a few comments. Andover has a really giving attitude so there are a lot of people who understand [what I’m doing]. “I’ve gotten references to the fact that it is the 40th an-niversary of Woodstock. Most of the time I think the comments are funny and I enjoy them,” he concludes. “If it brings some attention to the problem and the need - well that’s good. If someday somebody can actually use some of my hair, than that’s even better.”

this book was. Being Jewish, the religious aspect of the book was something I enjoyed. Albom, also Jewish, and the rabbi had very interesting religious ar-guments, ranging from heaven to inter-religion relations. The pastor also had great viewpoints. In essence, the book helped me jumpstart my own religious debates. One of the biggest downsides of the book is the price of the book. I bought it without a coupon for a whopping $23.99. This would be accept-able if the book was 600 pages long, but its not. It’s a mere 240 pages. A mere ten percent of this goes to charity, though, I guess some is better than none. Overall, I would consider this book a must read especially if you are in need of an enriching sto-ry. What makes it relevant is Mitch Albom lives in Michigan and half of the story line is about a Detroit church and its pastor which interested me. Although the writing style might not be the best, the messages, morals, and themes that can be taken away should last a lifetime.

Mitch Albom is a master of emotional stories, which can be seen through his other books like Tuesdays With Morrie. After given a short his-tory of Rabbi Lewis of Temple Beth Sholom and Pastor Henry Covington of I Am My Brother’s Keeper in Detroit, I quickly became connected with both of them. This connection made me not want to put the book down. I absolutely loved following the growth of Albom and the rabbi’s relationship as Albom tried to get to know him so he could write a great eulogy. The rabbi provides memo-ries and lessons that truly can improve my life. Equally intriguing is the pastor’s rise from drug dealer to cleric. Clearly, Albom is not one of the greatest au-thors of his time, and it can be seen through his lack of flair. His style is very simple and to the point. It is very clear that the story itself is the focal point and not his use of incredible vo-cabulary and grammar. That is okay, because I’m not a picky reader. I enjoy a good, uplifting story that can be read speedily, which is what

“Will you do my eulogy?” A question that is unexpected and unwanted. Mitch Albom, a sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press, takes the reader through the journey of being asked this question by his own rabbi. This, along with the story of a Detroit church’s pastor who has risen from the bottom of society to a man of God make up Albom’s sixth book, Have A Little Faith published in October. Albom takes the stories of these two men and uses them to rediscover his own faith. He strug-gles writing the eulogy of Rabbi Albert Lewis and struggles to understand how a church can be a run-down building. This piece of non-fiction successfully develops his struggles while giving me the opportunity to understand the book on my own.

On the day of the Crim one-mile walk on August 29, 2009, I was ner-vous. Butterflies danced in the pit of my stomach. I was so excited that I barely got a wink of sleep the night before. My heart raced as I made my way to-wards the starting line, knowing that although it was just a one-mile walk, it would be a fast one. For most peo-ple, walking one mile as fast as they can is a piece of cake. I, however, was born with cere-bral palsy, a neurological condition caused by my brain not getting any oxygen when I was born. This caused the parts of my brain in charge of muscle control to have a little scar-ring, so it affects the way I move. Although this walk would be a challenge, I was definitely up for it. To train for the walk, I spent hours

in physical therapy to strengthen my core and my leg m u s c l e s ; I would go on the t r eadmi l l for an hour and a half each day for more e n d u r -ance. To

speed up muscle recovery and re-duce soreness, I ate foods rich in protein and vitamin C. I participated in the walk because I not only wanted to challenge myself, but also wanted to spend time with my family. Each member of my family par-ticipated in an event. My mom ran a mile with my sister; my dad partici-pated in a ten mile run. His desire to run began in January; he has been running ever since. His self disci-pline inspired me to participate in the walk. Once his run was finished, he walked a mile with me. I had so much fun! My mom bought me a blue mesh running shirt with the words Will Walk for Chocolate. It made me laugh. As soon as I started walking fast, I felt a burst of energy, which began to drain after half a mile, but my dad kept encouraging me to go forward. With his encouragement, I contin-ued gaining speed until the finish line was in sight, people cheering me on from the right and left. I came in last, but I felt awesome because I had shown people that even though I had a disability, I could still partici-pate in the walk. The officials did not keep track of my time, but my dad did. It took 26 minutes and 40 seconds to walk the mile, which for me it is a big suc-cess. I participated in the 2009 Walk for Friendship on September 13. Par-ticipators weren’t timed, so this walk was also just for fun. It felt good knowing that the money each par-ticipant donated at the run would help other kids with disabilities. In January, I’m planning do another one-mile walk in Hawaii. This will be an excellent opportunity for me to stay fit and have fun with my family. I hope to walk it with my dad, who will also be participating in his first marathon. The Crim is a foundation dedicated to battling obesity in both children and adults, with many different fit-ness programs available. To learn more please, visit http://www.crim.org.

Albom rediscovers his faithHave A Little Faith is a heart-warming tale of a Detroit clergy member

I participated in the walk because I not only wanted to chal-lenge myself, but also wanted to spend time with my family.

Walking to overcome disability

Fighting handicap takes intense training and dedication

Kaya Koscielnystaff writer

forCr zyCocoa

It does not have the greatest reputation. It rots our teeth, contributes to the fat on

our thighs, and gives us one mean jolt and crash. Or does it?

While chocolate is not the healthiest treat in the food

pyramid, it does have its health benefits “Dark chocolate has the

best benefits. Any food that comes from a plant has fla-vonoids in it and helps our bodies repair ourselves. The flavonoids prevent the free radicals from destroying our bodies,” says Sherry Hall, the owner of A Taste of Life, a personal chef service. But what happens when the choco-late is processed? “Milk chocolate is more processed than dark,” says Lori Fullet, a regis-tered dietitian. “When they are pro-cessed they add alkalis products to them. The more alkalis it has, it makes the benefits of the chocolate non-ben-eficial. Processing breaks down the fla-vanoids and that’s why it’s important to have pure dark chocolate.” These flavonoid anti-oxidants also give chocolate its dark color. The

more it is processed, the lighter in color the chocolate is and the less antioxidants there are. Chocolate can also fight disease. “The flavanoids help reduce the risk of heart disease. Also, the chocolate can relax your blood vessels and may affect your LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol levels so it will have a positive effect on your bad cholesterol,” says Fullet. Just because chocolate does have ben-

efits does not mean someone should be on their way to the store buying truckloads. “You should have a solid dark chocolate,” says Fullett. “A chocolate with marshmallows and nuts defeats the purpose. But you also need to read the labels. You have to be careful of the fat of dark chocolate, so it is not recommended to eat a candy bar a day.” Besides raw solid choco-late, hot chocolate can be a healthy, wholesome treat. “The most nutritious choco-

late food would be chocolate milk or hot chocolate made with milk, but not the swiss miss because that is just flavoring,” says Barbara Lange, Andover’s Foods and Nutrition teacher. “You will not only get the benefits of the milk and calcium, but you will also get the added flavor and benefits from the chocolate.” Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals, may also diminish your appetite. About two ounces of dark chocolate a day should result in a sense of well-being and keep the doctor away, according to livestrong.com.

lifeB4

Dark chocolate proves to have positive attributes that lead to healthier life

Dark chocolate has the best benefits. Any food that comes from a plant has flavonoids in it and helps our bodies repair. Shelly HallPersonal Chef

Derek Wolfestaff writer

Emma Reidsmalife page editor

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Jessica Ranke managing editorSaloni Godbole senior news advisorDavid Rohr staff writer

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Of 200 students surveyed, pepperoni dominates

California Pizza Kitchen and Crust Pizza are striving for a healthier, better pizzaSaloni Godbolesenior news advisor

CPK and Crust: now serving healthy pizza

The single unifying American ideal since the Revo-lutionary War is, of course, pizza. Why did the found-ing fathers want to leave Great Britain? Because there was a tax on pizza. In fact, the first copy of the Ameri-can Flag did not have stars, but pepperoni. Uncle Sam is the brother of Papa John! This past century, America has exclusively gone to war with one breed of people: pizza haters. Yet, in our own high school, we have one of these heathens, these heretics, these hat-ers of the foundation of the United States. Introducing David Rohr, pizza hater and criticizer extraordinaire:

Pizza Facts-October is National Pizza month in the US.

-One slice of cheese pizza has about 17g of fat and 484 calories

-One slice of pep-peroni pizza has about 34g of fat and 560 calories

-On average, each person in the US eats around 23 pounds of pizza every year

So why don’t you tell us your story with pizza?

It’s really kind of a traumatic experience. Pizza actually stalked me. From the time I was four years old, I saw pizza everywhere I went. It would follow me to birthday parties, football games, cafeterias, and it even showed up at family dinners. As you would expect, I got a little spooked. I called the police and tried to get a restraining order against pizza, but it kept manag-ing to sneak into my life.

What do you mean, “sneak into your life?”

Pizza has many disguises. As soon as I was prepared for your tra-ditional pizza, it dressed up. It came after me as a pizza bagel, a pizza sub, a pizza roll, a deep dish pizza, a thin crust pizza and even as a calzone. I wasn’t safe anywhere, so I did the most logical thing: I bought a shotgun and a cheese grater and carried them with me everywhere I went, ready for a fight.

When was the last time you had to fight pizza?

Well just the other day, I went out to lunch and passed a very inter-esting place called Crust. Curious, I walked in, but it was an ambush! Pizza

as ultimate pizza topping

Crust Pizza and California Pizza Kitchen are attempting to be anything but cheesy. These local restaurants are trying to increase business by tossing up a new spin on an American dietary staple. The trend of avoiding traditional pizza is expanded upon by senior Ellie Maher. “I usually hate pizza because it’s so heavy,” says Maher. “When I do eat it, which is rare, I prefer thin crust pizza that’s different from the boring old pepperoni and cheese. I enjoy pizzas that have more vegetables and less grease.” According to Annette Chapman, manager of Crust pizza, a healthier form of pizza is exactly what the restaurant is striving for. “Modern pizza has evolved into something that the original creators of pizza would probably

refuse to eat because it’s so overwhelmingly fatty. Pizza was pretty healthy when it was first created, and that’s Crust’s whole philosophy. The types of pizzas we make are Neapolitan, which is very simple food, the way pizza was meant to be eaten,” says Chapman. Chapman explains that Neapolitan and American pizzas differ not only in calorie count, but also in their ratio of crust to topping. “The difference between American and Neapolitan pizza is that Neapolitans consider the toppings as an embellishment to the crust, while Americans think of the crust as something that carries the toppings,” says Chapman. “To the Neapolitan way of thinking, crust is supreme, and everything else must be kept light. This obviously cuts down on the amount of cheese and other unhealthy things, making a combination of thin bread, light sauce, vegetables and a sprinkling of cheese, a very healthy dinner.” However, not all Neapolitan pizzas are created equal. “The healthiest pizza on our menu is the Margarita. This is because it is very light on the cheese and has a healthy red sauce on a thin crust. Thin crusts eliminate the heavy carbs,” says Chapman. Similarly, customers must be wary of what goes into their orders at California Pizza

Kitchen, according to waiter Carlos Gonzales. “For all those ladies concerned with calories, I suggest asking for our honey-wheat with whole grain crust. It has ten less calories per serving. The Italian Tomato and Basil pizza has Italian tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and our signature sauce but it’s almost half the calories of the other pizzas,” says Gonzales. CPK’s slogan, “A leader in California-style cuisine,” could be a clue to what may make CPK pizza a healthier alternative. “When we say that CPK is a leader in authentic California-style cuisine, it means that we use fresh ingredients in innovative recipes. It also has to do with having a diverse menu. The emphasis on quality and choice makes us a far healthier pizza joint. It is something rare in the restaurant biz to say that we never use frozen anything. We also make our own dough every day,” says Gonzales. Crust is located on the corner of Telegraph and Maple Road in Bloomfield Hills. California Pizza Kitchen has a restaurant in Somerset Mall and at Orchard lake and 14 Mile Road. Both restaurants are open until 10 p.m. Monday-Friday.

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had found me again and surrounded me. Before I could get out my grater, I’m pretty sure it double-teamed me. It kept trying to get me to eat it! Needless to say I had to fight dirty and managed to escape with only minimal grease stains. My therapist will help me sort out the rest.

So aside from the assault, what don’t you like about pizza?

To be honest, I just don’t really like the taste. It smells delicious, but I’m just not a fan of tomato sauce.

What about the different types of gourmet pizzas at places like CPK?

I’m not familiar...

California Pizza Kitchen? They serve a plethora of alternatives to the traditional pizza. From Barbecue Chick-en to Bacon Lettuce and Tomato, the possible pizza combinations are endless. Many don’t even have the typical tomato sauce! You should give it a try sometime.

Maybe I will. What do you get there?I like the Hawaiian Pizza. But I also hate pineapple...

Well, that’s a topic for another day.

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Debated by:

Design by Melanie Greenspan and Kyle Kavanagh

Toppings, anyone?

when I remind her [to use the inhaler].” Although Fotouhi loves many aspects of the sport, there are events that she frets about. “When I’m an anchor for the relays I worry that I might not finish first, and if my goggles fall off, I panic. It happened at my third meet for high school swimming, and I was the anchor. I had to win, otherwise we wouldn’t get points for the race and Andover would lose,” says Fotouhi. If her goggles fall off when swimming, she has trouble with flip turns because she cannot see when she needs to push off the wall and take a breath. “Sometimes, when the workouts are really hard, I start to wheeze and need to use my inhaler. With backstroke, I often feel my asthma holds me back, because I feel like my lungs are holding me down underwater and I struggle to stay up,” says Fotouhi. Kathy Fotouhi concludes, “She doesn’t let her asthma hinder her. Stephanie’s determined to be great and she won’t let anything get in the way of her success.”

sports

James Feuereisenstaff writer

here are 10 seconds left in the race. Coach Phil Laliberte is shouting like crazy, encouraging a last-second

sprint. The runners are about to pass out from exhaustion. As the finish line approaches, both senior Jason Lelend, and sophomore Harrison Kenum are behind a runner from Berkley, but they pass the runner, just in time to win the race. “Once I crossed the finish line, I felt like I was about to throw up. But later, I felt great because I realized I actually pulled off the pass. Additionally, it felt really sweet that I ran most of the race with only one shoe,” says co-captain, Jason Lelend. “Only later did I find out the good news.” This good news happens to be a victory for the boys’ cross country team, the first in nearly four years. On September 14, the boys’ cross country team defeated Berkley at a tri-meet at Catalpa Oaks. “There was so much excitement on our team after I told them of our victory on the ride home from the meet,” says head coach Phil Laliberte. “Members of the team were cheering and really just living in the moment. I felt really happy for the seniors, as they have never tasted victory.” The runners on the team were even more ecstatic about the victory.

“I had no idea we won until Coach Laliberte announced the news to us on the bus,” continues Lelend. “Going into the race, I was not expecting a win at all. When the victory was announced, I got really excited. I was literally jumping off the walls, and and high fiving the other runners for an extended period.” “I am really excited for Coach Laliberte and the cross country team,” says athletic director R.J. Guizetti. “They have been struggling in recent seasons in regards to victories. However, the runners never have given up their work ethic, and that ethic enabled them to achieve victory. When an athlete has the true feeling that their work paid off, they feel really proud of themselves.” The victory is even more meaningful because it was the result of a last-second surge at the finish line by Andover runners. Coach Laliberte explained how, at meets, scoring is based on the places of the top five runners from one school compared to the top five from the other team. Against Berkley, Leland and Harrison passed the fifth place runner from Berkley. This resulted in a tie in scoring. In the case of a tie, the winning team is determined by the places of the sixth place runner from the schools,” explains Laliberte. “Since our sixth place runner was (a tie between Kenum and Leland), we won the meet.” “Close to the finish line, I really felt that the team needed to win this meet because I knew we could actually pull it off,” says Kenum. “After the race, I was relieved

it was over. On the bus, when Coach Laliberte announced the win, I was excited for myself considering I directly aided to the victory. However, I was more excited for the team as it’s been such a long time since a victory for us.” According to Laliberte, the victory was, without question, a team effort. Laliberte mentioned how in the final few seconds, other runners from Andover passed people near the finish line. Dillon Dewundara passed a few runners, as did Jacob Keift. Without these key passes, the team’s score would not have tied with Berkley’s, and Andover would have lost the race. “In other meets, such as the meet proceeding this one, we have been close to victory, but we have never won,” explains junior Dillon Dewundara. “I was so shocked to win. We cheered really loudly, but we did not really know what to do as we have not won in such a long time. We congratulated each other and really just had great team bonding.” Coach Laliberte says that there a few things that allowed the team to finally end its winning drought. “Initially, our team has a lot more runners this year compared to last, almost double, and this gives the team much more depth,” says Laliberte. Additionally, I have really stressed mental toughness in my runners, and there is no doubt that this mental toughness helped the team win in the last fews seconds. Finally, I think I have worked the team a bit harder in practices,” comments Laliberte, who is coaching cross country for the first time.

As the announcer shouts “Swimmers step up, take your marks,” freshman Stephanie Fotouhi steps onto the block. She visualizes her streamline and her flip-turns, pulls on her lucky green goggles and is ready. The buzzer goes off and the medley relay begins. “At the beginning of a race, I’m always worried that I’ll gain time,” says Fotouhi. “I feel that I’m constantly trying to catch my breath so it’s always nerve-wracking.” With her 1:09.23 time in the Rochester

Jenni Michalski practices Choi

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Swimmer describes her journey to overcome obstacleNikki Kiesterstaff writer

Meet, Foutouhi has become one of the varsity team’s best backstrokers; however, Fotouhi faces more than the pressure of staying on top. At age 12, she was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. “The doctor says I shouldn’t swim, but I do anyway,” says Fotouhi. Swimming since age 6, Fotouhi has swam at Bloomfield Hills Middle School and swim clubs like Woodside Athletic Sundevils and Birmingham Blue Dolphins. When she had an asthma attack during an event, she had trouble breathing and had to immediately get out of the pool and use her inhaler. Now swimming at the high school level, Fotouhi faces new challenges. “Swimming for high school is different

from swimming for a middle school team - there are more practices and I’m in a conditioning class for swimming first hour. At first, when I joined the team, I was nervous; I wondered if the coach was going to be mean and if I’d have any friends, but the team and the coach are really nice.” Fotouhi is still swimming even though asthma has a tendency to hold back athletes. “If I didn’t have asthma I’d be a much faster swimmer. On flip turns I always have to take a breath, which adds seconds onto my time. Also, sometimes I have trouble breathing, and I have to sit down and rest, so I can’t swim my next event,” says Fotouhi. However, she is able to handle these challenges by making sure to use her inhaler and take deep breathes before starting the race. “Sometimes I worry that she’ll forget to bring her inhaler and, if there’s an emergency, she won’t have it,” says Kathy Fotouhi, Stephanie’s mom. “She is pretty independent though. She hates it

Fotouhi overcomes asthma

Impeccable Feet

Tennis team makes noise at states Boys’ varsity tennis team finishes second in the state tournament

Beginning with captains’ practices in the summer and concluding with the state tournament, the Barons’ varsity tennis team is officially the second place team in their division. As the conditions changed from summer heat to the fall season, the team’s mentality did not as they concluded their regular season with a record of 7-2-1 finishing second at leagues by two points, and third place at regionals by three points, advancing them to the state tournament. “After our performance during the regular season, leagues, and districts, there was no doubt in any of our minds that we couldn’t contend for a state title. We were really confident after playing so well and in result we played very well at states,” says senior Zach Weber. After the first of two days at the state tournament, Andover held sole possession of place, first leading favorites Detroit Country Day by one point and Cranbrook by two points. “In a local newspaper, there was a story about how Country Day and Cranbrook were competing for states. Not once in the article did they mention Andover, “ senior co-captain Drake Deitch explains. “This was all the motivation we needed. We were the underdogs, and we felt like we needed to bring glory back to Andover.” Although the Barons did not win states, they did come in a close second to Detroit Country Day. Two singles, two doubles, three doubles, and four doubles all competeted for the state title in their individual bracket, with four doubles coming out victorious, as the team as a whole fell just short. “We were leading after the first day and ended up falling short by two points 28-30,” says head coach Steve Herdoiza. “Although we didn’t win states, I’d consider the season a major success, as we proved ourselves to be one of the best teams in the state.” The state tournament is nothing new for the Barons, as they have finished in the top-five many times in recent years. Varsity tennis alum and brother of captain Drake Deitch, Dorin Deitch knows the position this team was in first hand. “I remember when I was in states and how important it is to be motivated. Before the teams’ matches I gave them a motivational speech to pump them up and it must have worked,” says Deitch. “I knew coach Herdoiza would get his team ready to contend for a state title even without title expectations.” The Barons not only showed their determination and willingness by finishing so high, but also they showed how important teamwork is as they grew as a team, according to Herdoiza. “This team was one of the most exciting teams to coach,” says Herdoiza. “We had eight seniors on the team and it was unique in that you could really see the growth and improvement of the guys both in terms of their play and their maturity. We pretty much had the same team from a year ago, but improved from fifth in state to second. They really worked hard and put theirs hearts and souls into accomplishing our goal and as a result came out as winners with no regrets.”

Matt Luckoffsports page editor

freshman Stephanie Fotouhi

Senior Jacob Kieft runs his last mile at the Kensington cross country meet. At this meet, Andover competed against West Bloomfield High School’s cross country team.

- Fotouhi has been swimming since she was 6 years old

- She was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma at age 12

- Fotouhi plans to continue swimming after high school

Quick Facts

- The boy’s cross country team won on September 14 for the first time in nearly four years

- The meet took place at Catalpa Oaks, and was a tri-meet against Berkely and Ferndale

- The cross country team defeated Berkely and won the meet in a tie-breaker

- There are 25 runners on the boys’ cross country team

Quick Facts

Although we didn’t

win states,

I’d consider the season a

major success.

Steve Herdoiza

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The boys’ cross country team wins its first meet in nearly four years in last second surge

photo by Leary Kieft

Profile

Sprinting across the finish line, sophomore Lena Gomer throws her arms up in triumph, listening to the cheers coming from her coach and teammates. Savoring this moment, she smiles, realizing an experience like this would never happen back in her own country. “We don’t have something like cross country in Germany,” says Gomer, one of seven foreign exchange students on the team. “But I like it a lot. We have a really good team spirit.” This large group of exchange students

decided to join the team after an invite from girls’ cross country coach, Beth Sinclair.

“I wrote a letter to all the host parents at Andover before the season started and suggested that, perhaps, this would be a sport that the students

could try,” explains Sinclair. She continues, “The teams, although larger than last year, are so small that it is less intimidating. There is also no cutting, and it’s not an expensive sport to try.” Almost all of Andover’s exchange students accepted Sinclair’s invitation. “I think it is incredibly helpful to the cross country team to have such a high participation rate from the foreign exchange students,” says Phil Laliberte, the boys’ cross country coach. “These athletes not only help add depth to our team, but also seem to form a tight bond with other athletes, which is always beneficial.” According to sophomore Lise Devits, the foreign exchange students fit right in. “They’re really in the group. It’s not like the Germans here, everyone else there. They blend really well,” says Devits. “They’re

all very nice and want to learn more about what America actually is. They love going on the bus because it’s something new for them. The first time, they were all so excited and screaming, ‘Yay! We get to go on the bus!’” Devits adds, “The

exchange students fit in just like American students. If they didn’t have the accent, you wouldn’t even be able to tell they were foreign.” There are difficulties for the students, however. According to sophomore Caroline Lasthaus, a student from Germany, completing school work, mastering the English language, and running cross country is a lot of work. “I played sports in Germany, but the work is nothing compared to what you do here. It’s difficult, but I like it. It’s important to me to have a balance of academics and athletics,” says Lasthaus. Laliberte further explains, “I’m aware of the challenges they face as students and athletes. We try, from early on, to make them feel welcome.” According to Lasthaus, Laliberte’s efforts to make them feel welcome are greatly appreciated. “When I came to school, I already knew people from cross country, so it made me feel more comfortable. I really was glad because I was nervous about starting a new school in a new country.” Catalina Rojas, an exchange student from Chile, agrees. She says, “[Cross country] is easier than school because we get to know each other better because we have more time to talk in practice than in a classroom.” Sinclair points out that the students’ athletic abilities have also greatly improved. Gomer and Lasthaus have made the varsity team through hard work and lots of effort. “I started off hardly being able to run two miles. I’d have to keep stopping for breath. Now, it’s amazing. I can run six miles.” Sophomore Tori Nunitrikan from Thailand has also enhanced her abilities and recently beat her best time by three and a half minutes. Unfortunately, Rojas isn’t able to run, due to a knee injury, but helps out by being the team manager. The other students include sophomores Ta Ua-arthorn from Thailand, Francis Lin from China, Jay Jeong from Korea, Tobias Kofed from Denmark, and Eriko Tenuya from Japan. According to Sinclair, running is like math - the same in all languages. “Running is something people can do anywhere in the world,” says Sinclair. “Sports are one of the common things we can all share, no matter what language we speak.”

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Seven foreign exchange students participate on cross country this season

BLACK BELTwonder

Exchange students find niche on cross country team

Lauren Lewissports page editor

After stating the Choi Kwang Do pledge and bowing to the flags and the instructor as a sign of respect, senior Jenni Michalski’s hour long practice of Choi Kwang Do begins. “When I walk into class, I’m excited to see my fellow classmates, and once class gets started I begin to think about everything I want to accomplish in class--better technique, more power, and more speed,” says Michalski. While there are various forms of martial arts offered at the Beverly Hills Club where Mi-chalski trains, she focuses on Choi Kwang Do. Michalski ’s instructor, Yevgeniy M a l -kin, explains, “Choi Kwang Do is a Korean style martial art. Grandmas-ter Choi created Choi Kwang Do, which literally translated means ‘The Way of Kwang Choi.’ All the techniques practiced in this style were devel-oped based on science and, therefore, com-plement the movement of the human body. In fact, studies show that Choi Kwang Do movements actually improve joint strength and flexibility, which makes this style one of the fastest growing martial arts in the world.” Lynne Michalski, Jenni’s mother, has watched a few of her classes as they begin and observes the common rituals practiced. “The ceremony that surrounds participation is awesome,” Lynne says. “First she puts on her uniform and ties her belt. Then, before go-ing into the Do Jang, the students bow at the waist as a sign of respect. They then recite the principles of Choi Kwang Do and begin train-ing.” Lynne continues, “Every belt level has a pattern. All of the instructions are in Korean. Each member counts in Korean as they repeat their pattern. It’s almost like a fighting ballet.” Malkin shares the experience of how Mi-chalski got involved in the sport six years ago. “Ever since Jenni started training six years ago, she has been an inspiring student to train with. When Jenni started training, I was still only an assistant instructor, and watching her progress was truly impressive,” says Malkin. “She always brings a strong, positive attitude to class and does the best she can in every activity. The result of her determination and effort is a student who is not only a joy to have in class, but increases the energy of the whole class by motivating others.” After receiving her Black Belt, Michalski began training for her Chief Instructor Certification, so she will be able to teach and open her own school.

In order to advance from belt to belt, you must train and test. “It takes three straight years of training from White to Brown Senior belt. Once you reach Brown Senior [brown with a black stripe] you are a candidate to test for your first Don [first degree]. At your test, which is about two to three hours, you must perform all patterns, speed drills, close range drills, and complete two different air shield drills in order to be considered.” After receiving her black belt, Michalski describes how, “It was one of the most awesome feelings ever. I was exhausted from my strenuous test and drenched in sweat, but when my instructor handed me my belt and shook my hand, it was all worth it. Having a Black Belt means that I worked hard for a good portion of my life to accomplish a goal that I have had since I was young.” “Earning my Black Belt has helped me become more confident, determined, and focused on achieving any-thing I set my mind to. I am currently training for my second degree Black Belt, and also my Chief Instruc-tor Certification, which will allow me to open my own school and teach at the school that I currently train at.” As Michalski continues to advance her Choi Kwang Do skills, her family reflects on her future.“I believe that Choi Kwang Do will always be a part of Jenni’s life. If she doesn’t actively par-ticipate, she will certainly invest in the relation-ships she has formed as a result of her training. To me, she started as a miracle, and each and

Photo by Madeline McIlhon

Senior Jenni Michalski shares her experiences

mastering Choi Kwang Do

Ashley DuBoisstaff writer

Sports are one of the common things we can all share, no mat-ter what language we speak.Beth SinclairCross Country Coach

- Joe Abrash sophomore

Dressing up not only shows team unity but also pride in the sport and supporting the team.

sports

Swim team helps form lifelong bonds

The great football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another and of strength to be derived by unity.” Throughout his life, Lombardi continually emphasized the importance of being a team. Here at Andover, the favorite representation of this is when sports teams dress up on game days. When all the members of a sports team dress up, it creates a real sense of unity, that oneness Lombardi thought was so necessary to build for a team. It really shows that each player is in this together, even sacrificing the comfort of jeans and a sweatshirt for the team. Dressing up is important for team morale. It provides a constant reminder throughout the day of the game ahead and helps pump up the players. Because the players don’t wear the clothes they normally would, it helps signifiy that game day is something special, something important. In addition, dressing up improves school spirit. Everyone knows when there’s a game when they see their peers in a

dress shirt and tie. Every student is more aware of the game that night and the fancy attire pumps every student up, along with the team players. Many sports teams at Andover choose to not dress up on game days. For example, track does not because of the large number of participants and the decision to take a more laid-back approach. However, we encourage all sports teams to begin the tradition of dressing up on game days although it may not be the most convenient for players, it brings about comradery and team cohesion. Dressing looks more proffesional. When it’s game day for NFL players, they dress up. When it’s game day for Andover athletes, they should dress up as well. Formal attire focuses the players on the task

at hand. It helps to get them into a competitive mentality. They can then zero in on the game

and become mentally prepared as the day progesses Something as simple as dressing up can speak volumes about the mentality, commitment, and “oneness” of a team.

Your Turn:Our Turn:

I could hear the cheers from all around me. Jumping three times and shaking my arms, I tried to calm my nerves. I tried to

block everything out, to concentrate, but then it hit me. Winning this meet would be nothing less than amazing. There were two races left in the swim meet against Lake Orion, and we were just squeezing by. I think I might have actually gone numb from cheering so hard. A race of adrenaline followed by a burst of screams to my teammates, encouraging them to speed up and beat the swimmer next to them. In the end, it was a meet I will never forget. Andover ended up winning, amd we were ecstatic. We were undefeated. Inmy four years of swimming for Andover we had never been 5-0, and it wasn’t until the next day, at swim practice when Coach Z wrote down that the last time Andover went 5-0 was 1987, that I realized how special this year truly was.

Swimmer refects on the impact the swim team has had on her life and high school career

Maddie McIlhon co-chief photographer

Dressing up just looks better. It is the most profes-sional thing to do. When it’s game day for NFL play-ers, they dress up

I prefer matching because it’s more iden-tical and unified than dressing up, but both show spirit.

I think it gives a professional appear-ance and everyone knows your game is that day and it shows team unity and maturity. It also helps me focus on the game.

-Tegan Servo freshman

-Ryan Rosen senior

Senior year isn’t all about applying to college, getting in, and staying in; it’s also about leaving a legacy behind and showing the freshman that they will miss the class of 2010. This year, the swim team has led me to believe that I have accomplished this. Being a part of the team these past few years has given me some of the closest friends I have – there’s a special bond you get with teammates when you have 6 a.m. and afternoon practices, 5 days a week- and some of the greatest experiences of my high school career. But all the experiences I have shared with the girls on the team the feeling of sheer joy that I felt when I heard the final score at the Lake Orion meet is the one will stay with me forever.

Cartoon by Josh Loney

C3

sportsC4

Pushing

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

Limits

Volley for aCure

Far Left: Serving the ball over the net, senior Taylor Henkin warms up for the game. Henkin is the right-side hitter, after serving she returns to the back row to prepare for the return of the ball to their side of the court.

Left: Coach Robert Hurdle instructs junior Danielle Rapp on how to anticipate the ball when it comes over the net. It is Rapp’s first year on varsity and she is training to be their main back row passer.

Above: Senior Jesse Prepolec, sophomore KC Wenson, and junior Paula Demmings circle to congratulate each other on the success-ful block made against Lahser’s outside hitter. Prepolec has been on varsity all four years and is now captain.

Left: Anticipating a hit, junior Danielle Rapp and seniors Alexa Ellis and Jesse Prepolec come in to cover the block. The team exceeded last year’s total sales by raising over $7,000 to benefit breast cancer research.

Left: Junior middle hitter Paula Demmings blocks a hit from Lahser’s middle hitter, Cynthia Wagner. The middle hitter’s job during the game is to block hits from the other side and be ready to pass in case the block is unsuccessful.

Photos, text and design by David Yu and Madeline McIlhon

The Andover and Lahser volleyball teams

raised over $7,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Andover Shield October 2009

Documents

Transcript of Andover Shield October 2009