October 1, 2010 VOLUME IV ISSUE 1 DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL 2200 N. PARKER ROAD DEXTER, MI 48130

theRostrum

NEW ...

COACHES,

ADMINISTRATORS, STUDENTS,

EVERYTHINGagain ...

THIS YEAR

2 the spreadFriday, October 1, 2010 3the spread

Friday, October 1, 2010

Junior Tyler Rodgers traveled from Montana to Michigan to help manage his mother’s health.

His mother was recently diagnosed with Huningtons disease, a genetic, degenerative disease.

It does not have a cure but patients can go through clinical trials.

“She was diagnosed two weeks ago. I’m going to try to post something on the bulletin board to try to raise awareness and maybe some money,” Rodgers said.

Because Rodgers is new to Dexter schools, many people at the high school might not know him, but he has had a positive

impression on those he has met. “I have him in my first hour,”

junior Dexter Stevens said. “He is funny and nice, but he is pretty quiet.”

Quiet? Maybe, but Rodgers is busy. He swims and participates in jazz choir.

His first two years of high school were spent at Great Falls High School in northern Montana.

“It’s alright here, but it’s a lot different. For one, the classes are a lot longer and there is less periods,” Rodgers said.

And Rodgers is only one of the many new upperclassmen attending the high school this year, which Principal Kit Moran said is a good thing.

“It’s good from a dollar point of view,” Moran said. “For some reason people are attracted to Dexter, and that’s a good thing.”

For every student who attends the high school, the district gets around $8,000 dollars according to Moran.

But these new students are not only good from a money perspective according to counselor Craig Rafail. “They bring their individual talents and skills,” he said. They’re exciting people.”

But transferring schools can be tough, especially for upperclassmen.

Rafail said, “I feel like it’s a hardship, I want them to feel comfortable and accepted.”

Rodgers adjusts to a new school

As a young, enthusiastic adolescent, Assistant Principal Mollie Sharrar worked

as a car hop at the Dexter A & W. Later, she worked summer jobs for Thomson-Shore, Kelly Services and Briarwood Mall. And now she’s back at Dexter High School.

Living in Dearborn Heights until the age of 10, Sharrar then moved to Dexter and graduated from Dexter High School in 1985.

As an undergraduate, Sharrar attended Eastern Michigan University, where she earned a teaching certificate and Bachelor of Science degree in biology and math. She then earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership from EMU and a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum, also earning a master’s in Instruction and Assessment from Walden University.

Sharrar has been employed by Dexter Community Schools since 1990. She first taught science, math and health at Wylie and Mill Creek. In 2006, she made the move into administration and was assistant principal, split between

Mill Creek and DHS. From 2007 to 2010 she was principal at Creekside Intermediate.

About her move she said, “Of course, I’m going to miss working at Creekside. It is a great school with a dedicated staff and wonderful students. With that said, I am glad to be back at DHS and working with the exceptional staff and students here.

“No teaching job is ever like the past. Every year there are new students, staff, procedures and challenges. There are aspects of the job that I have done before, so it is not completely new, but each year is new and different,” she said.

One of the things Sharrar hopes to work on is bringing people together. She said, “My goals this year are to coordinate the efforts of the administrative team, work cooperatively with the students and staff at DHS and have fun.

“I love working with young adults. Their energy, creativity, sense of empowerment and approach to life is uplifting. I am also thankful to work on an administrative team with Mr. Moran and Mr. Koenig, who enjoy their jobs and make decisions based what is best

for the students at DHS,” Sharrar said.

“I think a lot of others see this too, but what draws me to the students is their ability to see the possibilities of what could be and taking on social responsibility to make a difference.”

On student behavior, Sharr said, “I think adolescents get a bum rap sometimes. Yes, they can have attitudes and can be emotional at times, but they are trying to find out what works for them and what doesn’t. I love seeing them mature into young adults.”

New

assistant principal

Scott Lucas, a retired Assistant Chief of the Westland Fire Department for 21 years, has become the new athletic director.

His previous athletic career started in Lucas’ home town of Westland, where he graduated from John Glenn High School in 1985. He wrestled, played football, became class president and was a student to one of Dexter High School counselors, Larry LeBlanc, when LeBlanc was a social studies teacher at John Glenn.

Lucas has coached at the middle school, high school and

college levels as Mill Creeks’s head wrestling coach and as an assistant coach at EMU from 2000 to 2007.

“I attended and wrestled at MSU for one season and later graduated from Concordia University in Ann Arbor with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and Leadership,” Lucas said. “I am enrolled in a graduate program at EMU working toward a Master’s degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

“The Athletic and Community Service department was created by combining the Athletic and Community Education Departments. The idea was that of the DCS prior to my arrival. I was hired to, among other things, design, develop and organize this new department,” Lucas said. “This model is different than what most districts do. Dexter is taking a 21st century business approach this new department.

“One of the goals is to have this department be financially self-sustaining while increasing the number and quality of program offerings,” Lucas said.

“I oversee all four divisions of

the department: athletics, children’s services, facilities and recreation, education and enrichment, each of which are managed by a coordinator, newly-created positions and hired persons.”

The new hires for all four departments include for Athletics, Dan Mettlach, an honorable mention, All-American Quarterback at Michigan Tech. Mettlach who has a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration,and was an assistant football coach at Northern Michigan University. He is enrolled in the EMU Athletic Administration graduate program.

Children Services is covered by Kelly Parachek, who has a masters in Education, eight years of experience as an elementary teacher and is a DCS parent.

Facilities are run by Greg Wagner, a three-time All-American Wrestler at U of M with a BA in History, and an MA in education from Oklahoma University, He was also an assistant wrestling coach at Trine University, U of M and Oakland University.

Rec. Ed. & Enrichment is run by

Jennie Greeley, who has a BA in Business Economics and five year’s experience in the DCS rec. ed. & enrichment department and was a sales executive for Walden Books.

“We have hired amazing people with outstanding credentials as our coordinators to lead and manage their various divisions,” he said.

Lucas said he is proud of his department and has a lot of confidence in their work ethic.

“I can’t say enough good about the people we’ve hired, the quantity of quality teachers, coaches and administrators we have, the amazing support from the community, most importantly the great attitude, aptitude and aspirations of the engaged and in tune student body,” Lucas said. “I am immensely proud to serve the DCS, compelled to do my very best for the department, district, community and students. I also have very high academic, competitive, sportsmanship and safety expectations for Dexter student athletes.”N

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Murphy Hansenstaff writer

Teddy Hits the Field

The moment he first stepped on to the football field, science teacher David Teddy knew that he wanted to coach football someday. But that day came sooner than he thought. He began his career coaching at the varsity level at Farwell, Mich. for four years. Now he’s in Dexter where he hopes to start where he left off.

This year Teddy has been doing something else besides teaching. He has just begun his first year of coaching defensive line and split ends for the varsity football team.

He said, “I’ve just missed coaching. I love doing, and I just love the feel of Friday nights.”

Last year he went on a trial run, coaching eighth grade football.

Teddy said he had such a great time working with the kids that he decided it was a time to make a return coaching under the Friday night lights.

And he said the veteran coaches all welcomed him to the team. “The staff is a great group of guys, and they have become friends of mine,” Teddy said.

Coach Teddy has created a bond with his players too. He said, “This is a great group. They show lots of potential. Even though these past few games haven’t been going well for us, our team still shows signs of potential success. In our first two possessions in the Adrian game, we were able to drive down the field real well. (Quarterback Mike) Mioduszewki made some real nice passes. Our line was blocking for him, and the receivers were making the catches. Our only problem was we made small mistakes that ended our runs,” he said.

Junior Jay Lewis said he really likes his new coach. Lewis said, “He’s probably our best coach because he’s young and knows some more modern techniques to help us. He’s still new, but he could turn us in to a good team in years to come.”

With his experience, Coach Teddy said he would like to be around to make improvements on the team for years to come. “We have a great group of seniors and juniors on this team,” he said. “They are all athletic and can become some great players out there.”

Taylor Schmidtstaff writer

Photo by Christine Wolniak

On the Sidelines: Coach Dave Teddy watches a play un-fold. This is Teddy’s first year coaching Dexter football.

Sharrar

Transitioning into high school might be hard for some kids. A new school, new people and a whole new set of responsibilities can be overwhelming to the majority of freshmen.

Freshman Jonathan Haley was worried about all of this, until he realized how the Freshman House would change his academic career.

The Freshman House consists of six hours instead of the typical five every other grade has. The first two hours of a freshman schedule are electives which is the only time freshmen are incorporated into classes with other grades.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth hours are core classes, centered around a team of teachers, similar to the system at Mill Creek.

So far, Haley said he likes the Freshman House concept because he said the classes are shorter and he is with his friends most of the time. According to Haley, “Upperclassmen can be intimidating to freshman at times.”

But is the House concept on track to achieving its goal of making the transition from Mill Creek to DHS smoother and more academically-centered? Assistant Principal Ken Koenig

thinks so. He said since he began working at the high school over 10 years ago, he has wanted to find a way to ease students’ transition from Mill Creek to DHS.

He took on the role of helping bring the Freshman House into the high school and feels confident in the program’s future. “So far, so good,” he said. “We have combined a fantastic group of teachers that are making it happen.”

Counselor Craig Rafail, previously a biology teacher at DHS, said from a counseling perspective, the Freshman House has presented many scheduling challenges but despite the challenges, Rafail said, “Personally, I like the idea. Schedules are ready, teachers are set and there’s no uncertainty in the kids’ school day.”

The House teachers say they are now able to teach the curriculum more thoroughly to the same age group, instead of having to individually teach different classes in the same trimester.

Science teacher Jessica Kreeger also said it

is important to address the needs of incoming ninth graders to reduce the number of failing grades. Knowing her students better will help her keep better track of their progress, she said. “We’re only two weeks into the trimester, and I already know my students.,” she said.

Freshman parent, Lindsey Haley is also a fan. “I like the Freshman House concept,” she said. “Moving from middle school to high school is a big adjustment for a lot of the students, and I think that Freshman House has made this transition a little easier. Each week, parents are contacted by the teachers in their child’s team in a mass e-mail that details what is being done and what is coming up in each subject. This is really nice for the parents as it seems like many kids, especially mine, don’t really like to talk much about school once they get home. I think that this communication allows parents to help students as they face the new challenging academic requirements of high school. By being a part of a team, I believe that each student will benefit from the structure and support that they will receive from their team teachers.”

Freshman house to help smooth transition

Joel Gowenstaff writer

Lucas

Steven MillerFeatures Editor

DON'TDO

4 uPageFriday October 1, 2010

Marshall Kellenberger uPage Editor

Freshman5X5

I haven’t stopped.

I am still grow-ing. I measure myself every day!

Um. I don’t know.

I haven’t ... I hope ...

I was born like this.

Um. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I feel hated. I didn’t know that’s what Freshman House was for.

Hurt, devestat-ed, on the verge of tears.

They told me they isolated me because I’m short, fat and orange, not because I’m a freshman.

Because the freshman are awesome.

Because I wanted them.

Because the freshman deserve the better teachers.

We didn’t. They haveAndrew Parker... I don’t know what your definition of good teacher is.

They haven’t given me one yet.

I don’t have a locker, but if I did, yes.

Yes. Every morning.

No. But now I do.

Yes. I imagine it’s quite a magical place.

No, good ques-tion though.

Yeah. Two years ago. It was great.

Not recently. No, I wish! Yes. It’s low wages and dangerous working condi-tions, but it puts food on the table. I have to feed the Oompa Juniors.

When did you stop growing?

How do you feel being isolated in Freshman House, so upperclassmen don’t have to deal with your immature ways?

Why did the freshmen take all the good teachers for themselves?

Have you ever wondered what the top shelf of your locker looks like?

Have you ever been employed by Willy Wonka?

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Freshman Year...1. Listen to everything that the upperclassmen have to say. This is rule number one. We are always right. We are the law in the high school. What we say goes. So all you need to do is obey us.

2. Stay in the freshman house. We built it just for you guys so you can learn at your own pace. Plus you took all the good teachers with you. You are only going to be able to see these amazing teachers now, so you might as well start sucking up.

3. Suck up to the teachers. Since you are in the Freshmen House, you can start to suck up to the teachers. It works perfectly because you have no upperclassmen in your classes (except electives) so we will not know.

4. Eat the cookies at lunch. When you finish a meal, there is always dessert. At lunch, it is the cookies. You can’t just go up to the counter and ask for a cookie. You have to ask for a brand new tray. Those are the fresh cookies. They are so soft on the inside they melt in your mouth.

5. Cheer in the student section. If we want to keep our rep as the best student section, everyone has to participate. If you do not know the cheers, then leave. We only want the best, and it doesn’t help when all you do is stand there.

1. Wear your Dre Beats into school. You do not want to estab-lish yourself as the “G” or the “Wankster”. You can only wear them if I give you permission.

2. Talk to the opposite sex. This high school is a very hostile place for men. The female only goes after two type of men, the one who stands out in crowds and the jock. Since I play golf, I am neither of those guys so therefore I have nothing to worry about.

3. Be a “Player”. You will establish yourself as the player in the high school. This might sound good to some people, but it is bad. All of the guys will come after you and unless you think you are Hercules, you have no chance.

4. Hook up with upperclassmen. If you are a freshman, do not, and I repeat, do not hook up with an upperclassmen. It estab-lishes you the freshman you-know-what. We have had a history of this, and it normally ends bad for both sides.

5. Stand in the middle of the hallways. This upsets all of the up-perclassmen. When you stand in the middle of the hallways, you block the way to get to our friends. Remember we come first.

Freshman Look-Alikes

senior Jim KellyAlex Elliot

senior Anthony MaisanoJay Ritchie

senior Diana FreijParmeda Sokansanj

junior Jeff BaldusEvan Burke

junior Max VestergaardHarrison Kane

Brennan ConterStaff Writer

Carl Schimmel

staff writer

Freshman Look-alike