Timeline Of EventsJune 8, 2007Six teachers involved in drunk shaming incident.

March 2008Haslett files forpolice report.

October 13, 2009 6:48 a.m.Michigan Messenger publishesstory about the incident.

October 29, 2009Haslett District Schoolsreceives redactedpolice report.

October 26, 2009 7:00 P.MHaslett Board of Education meeting. Supt. Duda reads statement. Public comments are made.

The room buzzes urgently with a life that only comes from the presence of public scandal. Chatter echoes through the large hall. Five TV cameras and three news reporters are here to cover the school board meeting. Students are here, teachers are here, parents are here, alumni are here. Every seat is filled and latecomers are forced to stand against the walls and sit on the floor.

The meeting is called to order. Superintendant Mike Duda begins his statement.

“Good evening, everyone. To begin with, I’d like to thank, on the behalf of the Haslett Board of Education and the district’s administra-tion, everyone here who has decided to come here today. I want to take a few minutes to talk with you about what’s likely on many of your minds this evening and then we’ll listen to your concerns.”

Duda pauses.“I can tell you straight off that I’m angry and upset about what

happened two years ago.”It’s 7 p.m. on Monday, October 26. The Haslett board meeting

is set to address the inappropriate actions of five Haslett teachers revealed in a Michigan Messenger story and later the Lansing State Journal. According to the LSJ, a 90-page police report describes the incident that occurred in June 2007. The report includes details of excessive drinking, drug usage and drunk shaming. No charges were ever filed in the case. The shock over this event has pulsed through the community since the first article came out and continues to be a highly discussed topic.

Senior John Jess had heard murmurs about the article towards the end of school on the day the article was published. He read it online later that night.

“I was kinda surprised actually, because I had heard there was a scandal but I didn’t know what it was about,” Jess said. “Then I read about it and I was pretty surprised our teachers would be doing something like that. I was a little bit in shock.”

Astonishment and disbelief reverberated among the students when they saw highly regarded teachers behaving in such a way.

“These were the people who are our role models. These are the people who are supposed to be setting a good example for us,” soph-omore Lauren Choi said.

Even though their views were changed, other students had a less severe opinion.

“You do look at them in a different light because you know their business,” junior Dave Sheets said. “But I’m not one to judge.”

Others said these teachers should not be judged by the actions they take outside the classroom.

“My perspective of the teachers hasn’t really changed,” Jess said. “I feel they are still good teachers and what they did outside of school shouldn’t really reflect on how they act inside of school. They’re go-ing to teach one way and if they are going to behave in an inappropri-ate manner outside of school, that’s their choice and it shouldn’t affect how we think of them as teachers.”

Some students are sympathetic toward these teachers because their

lives have been exposed to criticism.“The way I see it is that it’s their

business. It’s outside of school,” Sheets said. “I feel it sucks because when teach-ers hear about kids doing bad things, they will know about it, but they won’t be talk-ing about it. They won’t throw it in the kid’s face. But right now, that’s kinda happened to the teachers. It’s being thrown in their faces.”

The school has been a hot item in the media recently and not in a positive way. Many students find it sad that their school is receiving so much negative attention.

“It didn’t really have anything to do with school,” Choi said. “It was in the summer and it was not on school property or anything. I didn’t think it should be associated with our school as much as it has been.”

Jess believes the media attention brought to the school has been unfortunate and unfair.

“Even though it’s bringing attention to Haslett, it’s not good attention that were get-ting,” Jess said. “Even though it’s only five teachers, people who don’t know Haslett will see these teachers had a scandal and they will think badly on all of Haslett.”

Many people have never dealt with this type of shock in their lives. Principal Bart Wegenke is sad that students have had to endure the controversy for the past two weeks.

“School’s hard enough and now all of a sudden the students have to deal with a situation that was caused by five or six, six or seven teachers,” Wegenke said. “I feel like I need to guard them against that and unfortunately, I couldn’t.”

Despite being unaware and unin-volved, many Haslett teachers have experienced the effects of this incident on the school.

“It’s the other people who weren’t in-volved that are getting pulled into this as well. And you know, I don’t like that,” Wegenke said. “It’s Haslett teach-ers, instead of just the five or six. And you know, I think that some of our folks, both in this building and around the district, are being faced with some of that, and I’m sad for them. They’re

not even involved. But because it’s Haslett teachers, everybody gets lumped into it. Be-cause it’s Haslett Public Schools, we all are affected by this.”

Many teachers find it unfortunate the en-tire school district has been hurt by something

that did not directly involve everyone.“It’s very embarrassing. There’s no question

about that and I really don’t necessarily think it’s fair,” social studies teacher Bradley Brunner

said. “I really think that Haslett, without a doubt, is a wonderful institution.”

“I do think it’s been a black eye,” math teacher Rog-er Lawrence said. “Getting bad publicity is certainly not good for our school district or community.”

Many teachers felt the same disbelief and raw shock as their students after reading the article.

“I don’t think my reaction was any different than the student reaction that I heard,” Brunner said. “Everyone seemed to be pretty shocked. I think I felt the same as anyone else did.”

Rattled by the behaviors displayed by their colleagues, some teachers were also stunned by the content and for-mat of the Michigan Messenger story.

“I was surprised at the graphic nature of the pictures, and I was surprised the article named names of people that did not have much involvement,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t understand why the Michigan Messenger had to name all the names. It appeared to me that the reporter may have been writing it the way they did and naming the names to get a reaction.”

Brunner decided to discuss the incident with his stu-dents to discourage the start of false rumors.

“I knew as soon as students started talking about it, the rumors would spread and there would be prob-lems after that,” Brunner said.

Deciding what to say to the students was another thing on the minds of many teachers—what to say, how to say it and if it should be said.

“The day after the article came out, I spent as much time needed discussing the issues at hand,” Brunner said. “Mr. Wegenke had mentioned to the teachers if students bring the issue up then you can talk about it. We spent as much time as needed discussing the student issues and concerns for what had happened. For (the students), it is something very sensitive and they were very concerned about it.”

Brunner understands the disappointment of many students after learning about their

REVELATIONS rock communityby emma CLAUCHERTY & elizabeth YOUNG

STUDENT REACTIONS

STAFF REACTIONS

10.30.2009 haslett high school 5450 marsh road haslett mi 48840 volume 15 issue 2

see REACTIONS page 2

2 October 30, 2009 news

REACTIONSfrom page 1teachers’ behavior.

“I think students have a different perspective of teachers than they do the average community member,” Brunner said. “I think that can be said for any person that was ever a student. They have a different perspective of teachers than they do other individuals.”

Lawrence believes it’s unfair to judge anybody by looking at one par-ticular event.

“I’m really not sure if my opinion has changed a whole lot on any of them,” Lawrence said. “My opinion is not based on one action or one behavior.”

Despite being nonjudgmental, Brunner believes that teachers are held to a higher standard of behavior as public figures.

“Logically, the overall nature of the profession requires a different kind of responsibility because you are expected to be a role model,” Brunner said. “Just as if a police officer was doing something against the law. If he was doing that in public, it would show a certain disregard for the law more so than the average citizen breaking the law. Public officials in general are held to a different standard.”

As parents and community members approach the podium one by one at the board meeting, the room swells with tense anticipation. Each of them is limited to three minutes of speaking time and all of their vary-ing opinions will be heard.

Parent Steve Lampman feels teachers are responsible for fulfilling a role that parents can’t while their children are at school.

“I have an expectation that as a parent, I’ll be a role model for my children,” Lampman said. “And I want to choose to send my children to the public schools—and I can’t be there six, eight hours of the day—that they’re in front of other role models. So I do have a high expectation and high standards that teachers will recognize that responsibility.”

But the concern for standards doesn’t stop there. Other parents feel that there has been a lack of action on the school board’s part, a lack of action that communicates an ambiguous message to students.

“I find myself in this odd situation where it seems that there is one set of standards for the students and what apparently seems to the students to be another set of standards for the teachers and staff,” parent Carol Mader said.

Parent Jan Wellemeyer, on the other hand, is a firm believer in get-ting to know the involved teachers’ side of the story. When it is her turn to speak at the podium, she cautions others against rushing to form opinions.

“I really needed to just say, anyone who has never made a poor choice, anyone who has never made a wrong decision ever, anyone who has never done that, you can stand up here and you can judge these people,” Wellemeyer said.

And then there are parents whose opinions lie between the middle of the two extremes. On one hand, they feel that the teachers need to be held accountable. On the other hand, they view the incident as old news that shouldn’t be dwelt upon.

“We’re talking about something that happened two years ago,” parent Joe Walsh said. “So, maybe we should just, if we could possibly do it, have them undergo the adult equivalent of taking them out to the wood-shed and sending them to bed without their supper and grounding them for a couple weeks.”

Walsh said the teachers have undergone a level of scrutiny that many people have not. He feels there should be less focus on potential punish-ments for the teachers and more on how students can learn from their example.

“Did [the teachers] do something wrong?” Walsh said. “Absolutely. Should they pay the rest of their lives for it? No.

“So…maybe we can turn this around and have them say to these kids, ‘Look, see why you shouldn’t do this?’”

For the past two weeks, teachers Tim Beebe and Brian Town have had to face a community staring straight at their personal mistakes. Both teachers were mentioned in the online article regarding the June 2007 incident.

Beebe and Town both addressed their classes the day after the article came out.

“At the end of class I was like, ‘All right, everybody sit down and we need to talk about this.’ And I’m glad I did,” Town said. “Then after that, I did that at the beginning of each hour. And it was a relief for me and I think it was a relief for the students.

“I think it was a good lesson for them too, to know that bad decisions can wreak havoc on anybody. I mean, look what it did to the commu-nity, look what it did to me. It’s been hard to walk around, but I think it was a good lesson for them. I mean, I told them, ‘Whenever you get in a situation like that, I want you to think about me.’ And I think they took that to heart.”

In addition to teaching their students a lesson, both teachers openly apologized to all of their students.

“The first thing I did was apologize that they have to deal with all

(this),” Beebe said. “I guess my biggest thing was, I didn’t want there to be an elephant in the room even for one day. I feel like having some-thing that everyone knows about, but doesn’t want to talk about makes it uncomfortable for them. I’m going to be uncomfortable regardless; that’s just something I have to deal with. But I don’t want my students have to go though that.”

Beebe went on to explain to students that the building is for them and not for the teachers.

“I apologized that there is such a negative light on this whole thing,” Beebe said. “Hopefully it’s not impacting their experience here. Hope-fully they understand people make mistakes. I just try to turn it into a learning tool for them. I just say you can get in a situation, and you think you’re having fun. And then things get too far and you have to think about all possible consequences before you make decisions. I try to ex-plain we all make mistakes and none of us are perfect.”

Beebe wants his students to know the controversy surrounding that night has not affected his teaching.

“We want to let the kids know we’re not bad people,” Beebe said. “We’re good teachers. We’ve taught for two and a half years since this happened. Nobody knew any different and then all of a sudden the min-ute the article comes out…(That) doesn’t change the type of person that you are.”

Town finds it unfortunate that people have labeled these teachers as unsafe.

“I just think it’s sad that the day before the story came out, we were safe and good role models for you guys,” Town said. “And the day after the story came out, we weren’t.”

The few teachers involved in the June 2007 incident have been ex-posed to public scrutiny of the highest degree. Blog messages and TV interviews rant back and forth in support or protest of the involved teach-ers. Wegenke is aware of the contradictions.

“I think professionally, you have good people that are involved in it. They are good people,” Wegenke said. “The perception is, that they’re not good people and by not being good people, that means they’re not good teachers. And so, for me it’s difficult. How do you change percep-tion?”

The community’s perceptions of these teachers have been divided right down the middle. Not knowing who disdains and who supports has been difficult for those involved.

“The only thing that was difficult was trying to come into school…the last two weeks, trying to go around to the community, wondering who hates me,” Town said. “I mean, that’s been hard.”

Beebe and Town feel nothing but remorse for what this has done to the community and school district.

“I think the worst part about it is that some people are trying to equate that night or what was in the Michigan Messenger to how Haslett is as a whole and how you guys are or how we are with you guys,” Town said. “And I think that’s the worst part for me because I…care more about (my students) in the school than anybody. I mean…more than I do myself.”

They also regret the attention the administration has had to devote to this issue.

“(One of the worst parts) of course is the embarrassment of the school district, and the fact that the administrators and school board have to deal with this is also difficult to watch,” Beebe said. “I have to watch them not focus on their daily jobs and have to deal with this stuff.”

Beebe and Town were also confronted with the anger and concern of some parents, though not directly.

“No parents have come to me personally,” Town said. “But I know probably the administration has had parents complain, but I haven’t had anybody come up to me. I just wonder when that’s going to happen.”

Wegenke has been approached by parents who expressed concern and anger about having their children taught by people who were in-volved in the drunk shaming incident.

“I understand that parents see this as unprofessional and a real black eye to our community,” Wegenke said. “I also try to say to them, ‘Look, day to day, these teachers are still being effective in these classrooms. They’re still putting their best foot forward and they’re giving 110 percent or more to these kids.”

On the other side of the spectrum, both Beebe and Town have received immense support from students, former students and other parents.

“I’ve gotten numerous text messages, emails, cards in the mail from former basketball players, parents of players, parents of students I’ve had in class who’ve all been extremely supportive,” Beebe said. “Nothing but kind words.”

Town’s students have been among his strongest advocates. “The students have been amazing. They have been probably the most

supportive out of anybody,” Town said. “If you walk into my classes…it’s like it was any other day.”

During the school board meeting, a few HHS alumni speak to the board in support of their former teachers.

“Our main reason for being here is to support Brian Town,” alum and current TV22 employee Andrew Izzo said. “I think that he’s just an out-standing person and has been such a large impact on my life and many of my friends’ lives and just so many kids, students, adults, everybody.”

Several of Beebe and Town’s former students spoke of how these teach-ers inspired and supported them throughout their high school careers.

“I was able to play basketball for Tim Beebe for two years and coached Hoop Camp with him for three. He was a great coach. He’s a great teacher, good person,” Caitlyn Haas said. “The second person, Town, I was in class with him for two years. I was part of the 2007 telethon, spent hours in that studio working with him. He’s an amazing individual. He’s done great things for this district, for the community. I think nobody can

argue with that.”

Nothing has stirred the Haslett community in recent history like the Michigan Messenger article has. The question now becomes, when will the community put this event in the past and move on?

“This community, it’s strong. It’s strong. You don’t get to be the 42nd best community in the United States because you don’t persevere, because you don’t rise above things that may be negative,” Wegenke said. “I’m confident this community is going to rise above this and I believe that everybody that was either directly or indirectly involved in this will become better, as a result of this.”

How does the school and school district earn back the trust of the community?

“I think consistency of our delivery as a school district and how we’re providing the best possible instruction to our students each and every day,” Wegenke said. “How we continue to involve parents and our com-munity into our schools. I think that level of consistency over time will prove that we’ve overcome this hurdle, this event and we’ve begun to heal or have healed.”

Town believes getting past this event means focusing on the positive.“It’s something I try to tell the kids about all the time,” Town said. “The

only reason that you’re struggling with something is because you think it’s bad and it’s never as bad. And so, it’s a matter of getting your head in the right place and focusing on today.”

Duda wraps up his official statement at the board meeting. He reminds the community members of the single most important job of Haslett Pub-lic Schools.

“What we’re going to do now is keep focusing on the important job of giving our students an excellent education despite the tough challenges,” Duda said.

The school board prepares to end the portion of the meeting regard-ing the June 2007 incident. As the last speaker quietly steps away from the podium, the school board thanks speakers for their opinions. They briefly shuffle their papers. Take a sip of water. And prepare for the next order of business.

Drunk shaming not a jokeLauren Allswede, MSU Sexual Assault Program advocacy coordinator, gives insight into practice

by bailey MCMILLAN

WHAT IS DRUNK SHAMING?“Drunk shaming is… anytime someone draws on another person who is drunk or passed out for the purpose of humiliating them and causing shame,” Allswede said. It’s usually done with a group of people at a party or social activity.

WHO IS AFFECTED?High school and college students are the most frequently involved in drunk shaming inci-dents. Many of these incidents are targeted towards gay, lesbian and transgender youth.

CONSEQUENCES“Drunk shaming is considered a battery. Depending on where the drawings are, drunk shaming can be considered sexual contact and conduct,” Allswede said. “Emotionally and psychologically, it can be a very serious trauma for a lot of people, waking up and finding out people have touched your body and drawn on you inappropriately and humiliated you.”

AVOID ITDrunk shaming can be prevented by not drawing, shaming or humiliating other people when they’re passed out.

PARENT REACTIONS

MOVING ON

THE INVOLVED

3October 30, 2009 news

The truth about H1N1:The facts• Appeared in the United States in April 2009.• Named “Swine Flu” because it originally showed genes similar to a common North American pig virus. Further research has shown it is quite different.• The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on June 11, 2009.• Spread by those infected coughing or sneezing. Also can be spread by touching a surface with the virus on it, then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.• Contagious one day before illness and up to seven days after.• Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, chills and fatigue. Some experience vomiting and diar-rhea.• If you become sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home for 24 hours after the fever is gone.

The vaccine• 75 million doses will be administered before the end of the year.• Two types if vaccines: 1.) An injection with fragments of killed virus and 2.) A nasal spray with a weakened live flu virus.• So far no serious side effects have been recorded.• Recommended for pregnant women, people between 6 months and 24 years, and people 25 to 64 with existing health problems.

The prevention• Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.• Frequently wash hands with soap and water.• Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes.• Avoid close contact with people who are ill. information gathered from: “2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You.” www.cdc.gov N.p., 24 Sep. 2009. Web. 1 Oct. 2009 <http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm>. Cohen, Elizabeth. “2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You.” www.cnn.com html?iref=newssearch>.

by jenny LITTLE

It’s the season of sickness. And everyone remains fearful of the infamous H1N1. Here is the medical information about how to spot it and prevent it.

Former high school teachers adjust to new enviorment

Due to the school’s lack of money, a few teachers moved to the middle school this year. If anyone has noticed, teachers from each of the four core subjects have all but disapeared. Many stu-dents have noticed this absence because they had these teachers more than one time, and have had the opportunity to really get to know the very talented teachers that were forced to leave.

History teacher Henry Brunnschweiler and math teacher Lar-issa Golna both miss the relationships they built with students at the high school. In fact, those student relationships are what they claim to miss most. However, both agree the change has been an easier transition than either of them thought it would be.

“The middle school staff has really helped out,” Golna said. “It’s nice to have a teacher across the hall that is teaching the same subject.”

She also really enjoys the students she has. “They are all so goofy, and they make me crack up every day,” said Golna with a smile.

While seeing some positives of the new teaching situations, Golna also mentioned some negatives.

“I enjoy the high school content more,” Golna said. “It’s more challenging.”

She also finds it a struggle on how to structure a day to accom-modate the age group that she now works with.

“There are more rules here because of the younger age, and there is more to think about daily,” Golna said. “You almost have to teach them their independence.”

Brunschweiler also has felt the change and challenges as he moved down to the middle school. A positive is the age-group’s approach to learning. “The middle schoolers are more eager and excited to learn,” Brunnschweiler said.

But he, too, has dealt with the struggle of adapting to the younger age group. “You trust high school students to learn much more quickly,” he said. “You can tell them something once, and you’d have to tell the middle schoolers the same thing three times.”

Both teachers have made a smooth transition, and are settling into their new classrooms. There may be a few bumps in the road, but nothing they can’t handle.

Junior Barrett Peters lounges at Four Corners after his fifth hour Wednesday. He moved to Haslett High School this year from Okemos High School. photo by liz BAKER

Stereotypes not his thing

Different students, different teachers and different places -- moving to a new school can be a scary thing. Junior Barrett Peters of Okemos moved into the Haslett school system this year. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

Peters didn’t like the idea of only experiencing one high school. He felt the need to view

something different.“I moved from Okemos for

fun,” Peters said. “I didn’t like the aspect of people growing in one image.”

However, changing schools is nothing new to Peters after a big move from Illinois to Okemos when he was younger.

Stereotypes can be huge among teenagers and, for Peters, that just didn’t seem right. He understands that people his age aren’t very open to new styles and different personalities.

“I’ve already noticed that

everyone here knows their place and some groups aren’t very accepting,” Peters said. “But I guess that goes with any high school. Okemos was the same way.”

Peters spends his time as the lead singer in his band “Skyline Rush.” And his past includes time spent as a sponsored snowboarder. He has big plans for himself and doesn’t allow anything to get in the way of them. Peters wants to attend Columbia of the Arts in Chicago for vocal performance and news and business, unless

his band becomes his career.High schools can be full

of stereotyping, cliques and gossip, and teens tend to push others away when they dare to be different. It’s up to the others to make something out of themselves and stick to who they are despite the challenges that come their way. Peters is a great example of this, “I am still indecisive about my choice to switch to Haslett schools and right now I’m just kind of floating around and trying to fit in.” Peters said. “But I won’t change who I am.”

New studenttrue to selfby kat SMITH

by kerry MORRIS

4October 30, 2009 opinion

The Viking Longboat is a monthly publication of Haslett High School, 5450 Marsh Road, Haslett, MI 48840, It is published by the 6th hour Newspaper production class and Journalism class. The Longboat has been established as a student run public forum circulated within the school and to subscribers in the community and outside the school district. The Longboat is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. The publication is an eight time Spartan Award winner and CSPA gold medalist.

Letters to the editor are accepted at the discretion of the editorial board. Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be published. Letters must be signed by the author and may be edited for grammar, spelling, and style. Direct all questions to the Publications Room, Room 411.

editor-in-chiefEmma Clauchertycopy editorElizabeth Youngphoto editorTaylor ParkerAndrew BeaumanBC feature editorAli Footeopinion editorBailey McMillan

STAFFAli AdkinsMeaghan AndersenChris AndresenLiz BakerCourtney BlackMary BrownKelsea EllisKristen EverhardtAaron GroveShane HestonLauren HooperJake LampmanJenny LittleChris LounsberyJacob Meier

Kerry MorrisGabe NesterZach ParkerChelsea RidenourLiz RingleinNick RosenberyMichael ShermanKat SmithJessica StanichCassie StaszukMaggie TurneyCalla Van AttaCasey VanDenBergNick WakulskyKevin WillsonShelby WoodRebecca Wright

sports editor Jerry Eastwood & Lexis Guarnacciafeature editorHannah Nowickiad managerMary HilkeradviserJulie Price & Jeremy Whiting

“What are you going to do, draw on me?” one student jokes to the other.

After almost two years of rumors, the truth of the June 8, 2007 incident was revealed. By the end of the Oct. 13 school day, almost every student had heard about the scandal involving several of our teachers.

As the week progressed, opinions were formed. Some students felt betrayed, others were indifferent. Some parents were outraged, others didn’t see the problem. No matter how the topic

Time for community to move on

THE

was viewed, the spotlight constantly remained on Haslett.

The “drunk shaming” scandal itself should not be taken in a light manner. Some of our teach-ers were accused of very serious behaviors, and proper actions should be taken against these individuals. Not only were their actions embar-rassing, they were also offensive.

But the bigger fact of the matter is that the issue undermines people’s confidence in the school dis-trict. As a community, we must realize that, yes, a

few teachers made some horrible choices.Nonetheless, this one issue shouldn’t define

the entire district. As a community, we need to take on this issue, deal with it and move on. We shouldn’t let one group of teachers affect or change our respect and attitudes towards the other teachers.

People enjoy hearing bad news, but we shouldn’t let our school be the source of that bad news. Haslett’s integrity has taken a hard hit, and as a community we need to recover.

LONGBOAT STAFF EDITORIAL:

TheCREW Viking Longboat staff

Jeremy Whiting

Jerry Eastwood

Bailey McMillan

Elizabeth Young

Emma Claucherty

Hannah Nowicki

Julie Price

Lexis Guarnaccia

Ali FooteTaylor Parker

Mary Hilker

Andrew Beauman

”

5October 30, 2009 opinion

As this town recovers from the madness that has taken over for the past week, I sit back and watch the fanatical citizens rant their opinions as if they’re the only ones that matter. We’ve got parents who run their mouths about how they immediately wish for their students to be removed from certain teachers’ classrooms, students who applaud their teachers for the substances they were said to be using and administrators who act

as if nothing has happened.I love it.This stuff gets me going. The

chatter, the scandal, the blaming, the antagonizing. I’m not the kind of person you would want to tell your darkest secrets to. The enjoyment I get from juicy gossip tends to repulse people.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel for the people who are in this situation. From personal experience, it’s not fun to have the entire school talking about you. I cannot fathom what it would be like for the entire district, or at this point the entire Lansing area, to be scrutinizing your mistakes. Hats off to you.

But this isn’t about the accused teachers. I don’t want any misunderstandings here. They’re getting enough as it is right now. This is about you, Haslett.

Although in some twisted way I find amusement from the reactions of people to scandal, it’s still downright absurd the way the people in this town handle drama. It’s immature the way the parents run around gossiping to each other. Sometimes I swear the parents are better at being high school students than we are.

The parents don’t realize the damage they can do. According to Haslett parents, I am not only a drug addict, but also an alcoholic and a bully to other girls. I’m thankful to be the type who can just laugh off these rumors. But for someone with a much more sensitive personality, the gossip can hurt. It feels impossible to create a new reputation for yourself when adults gossip about you as if they know what goes on. Then the parents tell teachers, and teachers judge you. How are you supposed to prove yourself as a student then? I never thought that on top of the loads of math homework I have every night, I’d have to think of a way to stop the glares I receive from teachers. That’s just extra work I don’t want anything to do with.

Then there are the students. That’s an entirely different story. According to them, I’m pregnant. Not a day goes by where I don’t hear a rumor about somebody. At this point in my senior year, I’ve learned to ignore those people and move on. But I can’t help but feel for the girl who gets verbally beaten up by the words of some jealous girls caused by the boyfriend she probably will break up with in a month. It’s all revolting. But hey, it’s high school. What do you expect? So we don’t need to take up too much space in this newspaper on that overrated topic.

What this town needs is correction. A reality check. I know this is hard to believe, but there’s another world outside of this place. There are bigger problems going on other than the football team not making playoffs or our superintendant making a racial joke during a staff meeting. Get over it.

So what if some teachers got wasted and got creative with a marker? Oh wait, I forgot: Everyone else in this town has never made a mistake before so they all have room to judge. Right?

Wrong.I’m not excusing these people for their actions. They are

unpardonable. But the second I heard what happened, all I could think about was the verbal wrath the victims were about to experience from this town. Those teachers are supposed to be our role models and they’ve dug a huge hole for themselves. As of right now, they have enough to deal with. The last thing they need is the mouth of Haslett whispering in their ear.

Mistakes happen, people. Get over it. Lessons are learned. Lay off Haslett.

“

“The second I heard what happened, all I could think about was the verbal wrath the victims were about to experience from this town.

Why were all the heaters painted green?

Is the wi-fi in the library security blocked?

Why are the doors to the student parking lot locked?

Why are there no doors on the stalls to the boy’s bathroom?

The answers in black and white

“Safety and security reasons. We want everyone to be as safe in the building as possible”.

-Bart Wegenke, Principal

by meghan ANDERSON and liz BAKER

“For change. Each year I try to change something different. It keeps everybody’s eyes busy so they don’t notice the other things that need attention in this school”.-Steve Kioski, head custodian

“There are no doors on the boys’ bathroom stalls because people keep tearing them down. Students from other schools, as well as our own, are to blame.” -JavierPerez, Custodian

“The wireless connection in the li-brary is security blocked. It’s basically like logging in on a desktop, except you can’t save on the school hard drives.”-Margy Barile, Library Media Specialist

”

by ali FOOTE

Community needs to halt gossip mill

What this town needs is correction. A reality check.

6October 30, 2009 feature

For a Haslett musical, a cast of 32 is considered relatively small. This year’s musical, “School House Rock Live,” is an ensem-ble cast, which puts less empha-sis on individual performances.

With a smaller-than-usual cast and rehearsals starting three weeks late this year, the musical crew has to stay focused on the rapidly approaching show dates of Nov. 20 and Nov. 21.

“We are all really serious – we all want to be there,” senior Ga-briel Nester said.

Being involved in the musical requires a large commitment of time and energy.

“We have rehearsal every day, including Saturdays,” Nest-er said. “And beginning in No-

2009 Musical cast ‘rocks’ the school

“The character you love to hate changes from week to week in the Office. It is “the only show besides “Friends” that makes me laugh”, said junior Lyndsay Manson,.Manson has followed “The Office” into the current fifth season. Jim Halpert, a character in the show is “adorable, funny and the best boyfriend in the world,” said Manson.

Every Thursday, Manson goes to Campbell hall in MSU to watch the weekly episode with her brother and friends. In a typical episode the boss Michael, played by Steve Corral, usually does something stupid and most of the time it resolves. Manson loves to predict the next character that will be kicked off the show. When Manson is with friends who also watch “The Office” she “quotes it maybe once every three minutes.”

Gleeful obsession The new hit show “Glee” has captured many followers.

For Sophomore Nick Angel, “Glee” is his new obsession. Angel heard about the show because it incorporates big name Broadway actors.

“I watched the pilot episode 12 million times over the summer”, Angel said. The amazing music and interesting plot keep Angel pumped for Wednesday nights to roll around. Angel can’t watch it live because he has Men’s Chorale rehearsal Wednesday nights.

“I wake up at 5:30 Thursday mornings so I can watch the show before I go to school,” Angel said.

He is in love with the character Rachel Berry played be Lea Michelle.

“She is the best singer in the Glee Club,” Angel said. Angel, an enthusiastic fan, enjoys introducing “Glee” to

his fellow students. “I was fortunate enough to introduce [Katharine] Nunn

to the wonderfulness that is Glee” said Angel.

Senior Anna Schlachter races home to watch her favorite TV show “House.” When Schlachter gets home she often cheers with joy when “House” is about to come on.

“When House is almost on I usually freak out,” Schlachter said. “I’m super excited and bouncing around and I can be really annoying to my family sometimes.”

Schlachter isn’t the typical “House” watcher. “I watch house two or three times a week,” she said. Out of all the actors in the show, Hugh Laurie is one of

Schlachter’s favorites. “He’s British but has the most real American accent,” she

said. “He can be completely hilarious and he really knows how to channel House as a grudgingly likeable jerk.”

Schlachter enjoys watching all the drama that happens in House.

“One of my favorite episodes is about Cuddy coming back from a medical conference in Singapore when an epidemic breaks out so they have to figure out what it is so they can pre-vent the other passengers from getting it and dying, it’s quite the dramatic episode.” Schlachter said.

Before she watched “House,” Schlachter never really loved any other show.

“I once watched a show called ‘A Rip Off of House’ so of course I had to watch the real thing.” Schlachter said.

Even though Anna doesn’t have friends who watch House as much as she does, she still loves watching every season and every episode.

“I’d like to say I contributed to spreading the popularity, I got a few friends to watch it more that was pretty exciting.” Schlachter said.

vember, we will have rehearsal on Sundays as well.”

Regardless of the intense rehearsal schedule, the cast is happy with the musical selection. “The music is really fun,” senior Molly Hudgins said. “It is music people know.”

Since the musical is an en-semble, stage appearances are more equally divided between characters. “We had several deserving students who needed stage time,” musical director Erich Wangeman said. “Several students get tons of stage time in this musical.”

“School House Rock Live” is a unique musical because the characters are divided into four tiers: principle, feature, ensemble and chorus. The principles sing

the most solos, the features sing some solos, the ensembles ap-pear in 50 percent of the show and chorus in 20 percent of the show.

The principle group includes four boys and four girls: Nester, Molly Hudgins, Nick Angel, Liz Albrand, Aaron Petrovich, Mar-cus McGuire, Lindsay Manson and Katharine Nunn.

“There are a lot of strong singers this year,” Nester said. “Anyone could play any of the parts.”

Another factor that sets “School House Rock Live” apart from other musicals is the extremely limited amount of dialogue. “It breaks out from the traditional plot,” Nester said. “There are 15 songs and at most

by chelsea RIDENOUR

by gabriel NESTER

3Shows,people,personalities

by calla VAN ATTA

Most students think they know a lot about their friends and fellow classmates, but there is a group of eight girls who lead very unique and in-triguing lives outside of regular school.

These eight girls spend most of their free time dancing and working out at a local dance studio, Tari’s Cornerstone Stu-dio for Dance.

“The Haslett girls spend as much as 10 or more hours a week dancing at the studio,”

said Tari Ott, owner and di-rector of the dance studio. “They are there almost every day of the week.”

The girls in this group in-clude juniors Hayley Kosloski, Monique Cheng and Chelsea Tinney; sophomores Deanna Lewycky, Chelsea Root and Anna Romsek; and freshmen Janie Brink and Kim Pre-scher.

For most of these girls, the studio is their home away from home. Many of them started dancing when they were only

by nick WAKULSKY

10 lines all together.”Although there has been a

recent decrease in choir enroll-ment due to increasing curricu-lar requirements, the theater program remains strong. “I have not seen a decrease in the number of students in extracur-ricular theater,” Wangeman said.

As for the progress of the musical, the rehearsals are right on track. “It’s going really well,” Hudgins said. “I enjoy the people I’m working with.”

Wangeman is happy with the students’ progress as well.

“The kids seem to be en-joying themselves, and if they aren’t they sure are hiding it extremely well,” Wangeman said.

4 or 5 years old, Ott said. Some of them have been dancing for over 10 years.

The girls do more than just dance at the studio, they are also part of a highly trained traveling competition team. During the year, the team works hard on several dances and, then starting in March, they travel around the state to different competitions.

They have won many awards including Most Entertaining, Best Choreography and Best Technique, and have earned

numerous Platinum scores and First Place Overall Scores. They also travel farther away in the summer, such as to Wisconsin or Tennessee, to compete in a national competition and have also won many awards at these Nationals.

Ott says she really enjoys working with this group of girls from Haslett, “They are a very dedicated group of girls who work very hard at everything they do. They’re here at the studio all the time and have an incredible work ethic.”

As senior Mikey Manuel clamors out of bed early Saturday morning, he wishes he didn’t have a job at Blondie’s Barn. But for Manuel, Saturday mornings are a family affair.

Blondie’s Barn and Blue Gill Grill are restaurants owned and operated by Haslett families. Though the two restaurants tailor to different mealtimes, each has earned an important role in bringing the community together.

Primarily a breakfast destination, Blondie’s Barn is operated by the entire Manuel family. Mikey Manuel buses and waits tables every weekend with his sisters Sammy and Suzie.

“I love the fact that my parents own a successful business in this community,” Manuel said. “It brings a lot of people together.” Sports teams often have breakfast or after-school meals at Blondie’s, as do members of the school board.

The menu is even family-oriented, with meals such as the “Big Mikey.”

Yet for Manuel, work is work. “My mom treats me like she treats any other employee,” Manuel said. “She’ll yell if necessary.”

Though the restaurant has felt some effects of the slow economy, the Manuels aren’t worried about Blondie’s future. “We’ll probably own it for several years before we sell it, rather than having me or

my sisters take it over,” Manuel said. As for now, Blondie’s Barn is going strong.

Fellow local restaurant Blue Gill Grill shares a similar role in the community. Sophomore Payton Warner’s family founded it a few years ago and continues to run it.

“It means a lot to me to see the community come together as a family,” Warner said.

Every Thursday, the junior varsity football team has dinner at “The Grill,” and the restaurant plays host to several banquets every year for Haslett’s lacrosse teams.

For Warner, his family’s business has many benefits. “I get to meet people,” he said, “and I get free food whenever I want.” Warner is also familiar with many of the employees there, several of whom are former Haslett students.

According to Warner, Blue Gill has not been affected by the economic setbacks that many other businesses have seen.

“Everyone has stuck around town with local business,” Warner said. He thinks that less money has caused people not to travel far to go out to dinner.

Warner’s parents enjoy owning Blue Gill Grill as well. “My parents like owning it because they don’t have to be there all the time,” Warner said. “They can leave whenever they want to go somewhere.”

Since he doesn’t work there yet, Warner isn’t sure if his parents would be strict or lenient with him as an employee. In the future, though, he plans to find out.

“I’ll probably work there after college,” Warner said. “My sister or I will probably take it over.”

The Warners and the Manuels can agree that Haslett is a wonderful place to own a restaurant. For Manuel, it even makes working a rewarding experience.

Favorite local restaurants owned by Haslett Families by casey VANDENBERG

All about ‘Office’

Can’t get enough ‘House’

Dance team works hard and competes well

FA L

L

photo illustration by Taylor Parker

photo illustration by taylor PARKER

8 October 30, 2009 9blue compass October 30, 2009

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NEW BEGINNINGSEven though students dread summer coming to an end, there still is a semi-good feel-ing that comes out of a new year of school. Students have reached a new level in the school system and feel one step more important than last year.

PERFECT WEATHERAs the hot summer days come to an end, the cold brisk air of fall meets our skin. There’s nothing more relaxing than walking outside to a 50-degree, sunny day. Something about the cold air mixed with the hot sun gives off the relaxing adjustment from summer to fall. The fact that there are no bugs outside may also contribute to the joy that fall weather brings.

FALL CLOTHESMoving away from the tank tops and shorts, fall means shopping. Spending hours at the mall trying to find the perfect pair of jeans and finally being able to wear a cute sweater without worrying about the chance of a possible heat stroke. Dark colors come out and the worn down flip-flops are retired.

LEAVESNothing looks more beautiful than driving down a country road in the late afternoon with the sun peering through the trees and the multi-colored leaves aglow for miles. Although raking leaves isn’t one of the bonuses, jumping into a 4- foot pile of cold, damp leaves brings joy to all ages. They are the symbol of fall and signal changes to in the minds of summer.

FALL SPORTSThe two-a-days, rigorous camps and long summer training pays off when fall sports begin. Athletes put their weeks of hard work into the first games of the year and spectators rush to see their performances. Sports such as football, cross country, volleyball, girls swimming and boys soccer bring the first look into the athleticism that is brought to the table.

SPIRIT WEEKEveryone loves spirit week. Every single day of the week is dedicated to bringing out the creativity and uniqueness each student has locked up inside of herself and himself. It’s a week to put to use the imagina-tion that ponders in the heads of students while they’re bored in class. The competition between different grades brings everyone together to begin the year.

UNCLE JOHN’S CIDER MILLWarm doughnuts, fresh apple cider,and fun for all ages. Uncle John’s Cider Mill never grows old. Only in fall can you plan a day trip out to St. Johns and partake in wagon rides, pumpkin patches, the corn maze and, of course, the cider mill. It’s a great place for family and friends and is the perfect place to make the fall experience complete.

FOOTBALLAs much as everyone would like to complain that football is overrated, there is a reason for the dramatic attention this sport gets. The lights, the ache you get in your throat from screaming for 90 minutes straight and the thrill of watching your team dominate, or not dominate, the field. Some-thing about the cold air mixed with the screaming fans and smell of burnt popcorn and greasy pizza from the concession stands drags more and more

people to the fields every year. Whether it’s watching Haslett, Michigan State or even the Lions, football is America’s past time and it contributes to the high spirits of fall.

HOMECOMINGHomecoming is the first main event that takes place during the school year and some would say one of the best weekends of the entire year. The Friday night game, the parade and the dance all in one make for an entertaining celebratory tradition that creates many memories for all. The transition from hair dye and extreme face paint to decor ties and pretty dresses only contributes to the phenomenon labeled Homecoming.

by ali FOOTE

photo by taylor PARKER

photo by zeb FEDEWA

photo courtesy of ian HANCKE

photo by zeb FEDEWA

photo by taylor PARKER

HALLOWEENHalloween is the first real celebration of fall. The decorations, the activities and the atmosphere of Halloween just bring out the excitement and anticipation that fall holds.

5 Reasons Why Halloween is #15. Free Candy – Enough said.4. Pumpkin Carving – Nothing is more satisfying than the cold, squishy feeling of pumpkin guts between pruned fingers. Although it may not be the easiest thing in the world, the outcome is worth it.3. Costumes – One night out of the entire year to dress up as absolutely anything desired. The one time where hidden weirdness is tested and people’s true creativity comes out.2. Haunted Houses – They only come once a year and everyone loves nothing more than to drop $20 on a five minute rush where your eyes are closed 99 percent of the time.1. ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween – Thirty days of the finest horror movies and Hal-loween-themed shows.

Senior Aili Beauchine watches the powderpuff game on the sideline at Lake Lansing Park as the senior girls brutally defeat the juniors 18-6.

Above: Freshmen Katie Harris and Olivia Foote dress up on movie character day as Cindy Lou Who from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Bottom Left: Senior Alex Totten dazzled every Twilight Fan with his Edward Cullen look for movie character day. Bottom Middle: Seniors Allie Eisele, Sam Solomon, Molly Martin and Rochelle

Holliday rev up the students at the pep rally. Bottom Right: Seniors Torey Deimling, Autumn Root and Shelby Deimling searched their closets and rocked these outfits for retro day.

10October 30, 2009 photo story

photo story by Taylor Parker

WEEK

ZOMBIE ATTACK11October 30, 2009

ZOMBIE ATTACK

“First I would band up with Shibes (Ja-cob Schaibly) and take refuge in the mall and take people in and quarantine them for a day.”

“What is your Zombie Apocalypse Defense Plan?”

“I would steal a bunch of canned food from L&L, and find a sword. Then travel North so that the zombies wouldn’t find me and if they did, I would have a sword.”

Kwane Shacks

Santiago Fashbaugh

Andy Szedlak“I would go to Cody Molnar’s house and fight them off with my Mac-10.”

“I would go to my deer blind and shoot them with my bow.”

Coach O

“Did you just ask me that question!? I was just thinking about that. First, I would get in my car and drive to the mall. On my way I would pick up my friends and family. Once I got to the mall I would barricade myself into Dick’s Sporting Goods. The mall would be the perfect place because you have food and any-thing you want.”

Alex Totten

1. Always be carrying a golf club, shotgun, num chucks, crossbow, or any yield-able, hard or jagged object.2. Don’t forget the buddy system, so the zombies have someone to eat while you run for it (but don’t tell them).3. Shoot both ways before you cross the street.4. Always run WITH scissors… eh, make that an AK-47.

We Suggest

photo illustration by andrew BEAUMAN

by andrew beauman

Features

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat1 4 5 7

-Day of the Dead-Dierks Bentley (Van Andle)

-Day of the Dead-Cookie Monster’s Birthday-OAR Concert (Orbit Room, Grand Rapids)-Trans- Siberian Orchestra (Breslin Center)

2 -Taking Back Sunday Concert (MSU Audito-rium)-All American Rejects (MSU Auditorium)

3-The Men Who Stare at Goats MovieMontgomery Gentry Concert (The Palace)

-MSU-WMU Football Game-Dinner Fund-raiser at First Baptist Church of Holly

6

15 16 18 17 19 20 21-Star Trek Movie on DVD

-Radio City Christ-mas Spectacular (The Fox Theater) -New Moon Movie

-HHS Musical

-HHS Musical

22 23 24 25 27 26

-Funny People Movie on DVD

-Thanksgiving

28

29 27 4 3 2 1 30

8 9 11 13 14

-Metallica (Van Andle)

12-Ok Go and Princeton Concert (The Intersection)- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Release

10-Veterans Day-Sean Kingston Concert (Emerald Theatre)

-2012 movie- Bruce Springs-teen (The Palace)

-MSU Mens Hockey vs. Michi-gan (Munn Ice Arena)

-Starwars in Concert (The Palace)

-White Christ-mas (Temple Theater)

NOVEMBER

12October 30, 2009 features

�����’09-’10

Because of new graduation requirements, not as many kids can take art classes. If you are one of those kids, then come to Art Club. Rhonda Sherwin and some advanced art students will hold Art Club two Tuesdays a month from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sometimes the club will be held in the art room and other times the will go to art studios in the area.

If Art Club sounds interesting come to some of the meetings. Nov. 10. and 17. They are going to an art studio in Williamston, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15 they will be paintings windows for holidays, Jan. 5 and 19 they will be knitting and sometime in March the annual Chicago Art Institute trip will take place.

“It’s a way to expand opportunities for art kids who can’t take it because of graduation requirements or just because its fun,” longtime member Emma Cheatham said.

Art Club

If you like helping others and need com-munity service hours, you should look at Key Club. The group meets Thursday mornings in the Viking Room at 7:20.

Club president senior Meghan Anderson and the vice president senior Rebecca Abel help plan community service projects and raise money for needy charities. Currently, members are trying to raise money for UNICEF. They are also working on volunteer-ing at the Humane Society among many other things. Their main goal currently is to raise $200 for Invisible Children.

If you want to learn more, the club’s adviser is Rebecca Kipp (a.k.a. Ms. Verdun) or go and visit their group page on Facebook.

Key Club

“People who en-joy speaking French, learning more about French culture, eat-ing French food and watching French movies would enjoy joining”, said Chel-sea Chapin, the newly appointed treasurer of the club. French club meetings are every other Tuesday at 7:20 a.m. in Madame Dykman’s room. The club is always trying to find new members and a local bike tour called the Tour De France is being discussed. The requirement to join French club is either one prior year in French class or you have to be currently enrolled in French class.

French Club

Like reading? Like books? Then join the book club. In this club you read books that intrigue your age groups and topics that appeal to your interests. This club meets every Thursday in the Media Center during both A and B lunches. Occasionally authors visit the club and talk about their books, new or old. For example, Libba Bray visited the club to talk about her books. They’re always accepting new members. If you would like to join, you can show up to any meetings. Come down and discuss great books. For more informa-tion, talk to the director and adviser Margy Barile in the Media Center.

Book Club

The Spanish Club has been around for many years and Senorita Southwell has big plans to keep it around.

In the past, the club has conducted many fundraisers for numerous events. A recent event that Southwell is proud of is the Heifer Project, which helped raise money for people in South America to own chicks to raise. Senior David Sheets, a club officer, enjoys every part of being in the club. “The people are what make it so great,” Sheets said.

Although the club has only recently begun having meetings, the current students in the group have hopes to have many exciting events to look forward to this year.

Spanish Club

by nick ROSENBERY

by lauren HOOPER

by cassanda STASZUK

by kelsea ELLIS

by becca WRIGHT

13 October 30, 2009 sports

As basketball coach Timothy Beebe walks away from his long, successful coaching career, it is having an everlasting effect on many people, including his daughter freshman Mariah Beebe.

“It’s hard to deal with because I’ve been want-ing [my dad to coach me] since I was 6,” Mariah said following her father’s resignation. She will have to settle for a new coach this season.

After training with her dad all summer to pre-pare for the upcoming season, it was a disappoint-ment to see her dad resign. “The toughest part is that it was both of our dreams,” Tim said.

Both of them have wanted this ever since Mariah was a little girl, and seeing it vanish has been a difficult thing to handle. But Tim Beebe thinks it will be OK for him to be in the stands, rather than along the sidelines.

“It might be better,” Tim said. “It could be less pressure [on Mariah.]”

Besides Mariah and the rest of the team losing their former coach, they will have to deal with

someone new to the varsity coaching posi t ion. But not someone new to the coaching program.

Former junior var-sity coach Bob Cur-rier will

take over as varsity coach. Athletic director Ja-mie Gent said he was chosen for the position because having to make the change late in the year with tryouts coming up will make “it easier for the girls playing this season.”

Also, having a former junior varsity coach will keep the basketball program consistent. This will allow for a smoother change of coaches and keep the same system, rather than having a new, outside coach come in and alter things, he said

As Currier moves up to varsity, the junior varsity coaching position was emptied. Previous freshman coach Kaci Reid has stepped up to the plate and taken that role.

The freshman coaching position has not been filled, but Gent expects to fill it by today. The transition is supposed to be as, “un-rippled as possible,” Gent said.

People seem to have full confidence in Curri-er’s future success as the varsity coach, including Tim. “He works hard and prepares well,” Tim said. “He will do a good job.”

Tim will miss coaching greatly. It was more than coaching: it was a lifelong hobby of his.

“I gave up something I did for 14 years.”

Girls hoopsteam getsnew coach atlast minute

by lexis GUARNACCIA

Beebe resignation after 14 years has powerful effect on players

Stanko rollsAfter winning first place in the Detroit Free Press/ Flagstar Marathon, Stanko is swarmed by several reporters interviewing him about his achievement.

Stanko races his way through the brutal 26-mile course.

2:20:22 Detroit marathon time gives cross country coach victoryby jerry EASTWOOD

Twelve weeks ago cross country coach Nick Stanko was heavily into train-ing for the Detroit Free Press/ Flagstar Marathon. He would run 10 to 15 miles each day and pushed himself to be better. When the time came for him to run in the marathon, his hard work paid off. Stanko placed first on Oct. 18 with a time of 2:20:22.

“Placing first in the marathon was comforting,” Stanko said. “All the hard work started 10 years ago. You run and train real hard. You are lucky to have it once a year or even once in a career. The feeling lasts a couple of days and you move on.”

One of the hardest things to do through a grueling 26 mile run is to keep yourself mentally focused and keep yourself running. But Stanko felt as if the marathon was going by fast.

“It flies by,” Stanko said. “It is over in a blink of an eye. It goes by quick and you just focus on your competition.”

Even though Stanko enjoyed placing first, he felt his time could have been better. He came into the marathon with a time goal and a place goal.

“My time was OK,” he said. “I wanted to be faster and the second guy wanted to be faster. I didn’t hit my time goal, but I did hit my place goal.”

One of the challenges for Stanko this year was the training. Even though the training was critical to his success, he felt it wasn’t good as previous years.

“The preparation was tough,” Stanko said. “My training wasn’t as ideal as in the past. I had outside support that helped me. I had some small nagging inju-ries that were worry some, but I had a lot of help from physical therapists.”

One of the goals many runners set going into a marathon is to simply finish. But for the elite athletes, running 26 miles involves more than that mindset. It takes strategy and a comfort level to be successful through a marathon.

“The race doesn’t start until 20 miles,” Stanko said. “Your legs will start to ache. But the strategy is you need to be comfortable through the first 20 miles and cling on through the last six.”

As the head of the cross country team, Stanko knows that this win in the Detroit Free Press/ Flagstar Marathon gives a boost to the program. It helped show the runners’ strategy and ideas to help them win the race.

“Ten runners (from the boys and girls cross country teams) came to see me run, “he said. “They got to see the things we preach and see racing tactics and different approaches to win.”

Stanko doesn’t plan on running another marathon this year. But he does plan on one next year.

“I usually run one or two marathons a year and then move on” Stanko said. “I’ll probably run one next fall.”

With his goal for running, Stanko doesn’t really have one. He enjoys run-ning because that is what he likes to do and what makes him happy. Stanko knows his days of running fast are coming to a close but he is in the midst of helping the next group succeed.

“Running keeps me happy,” Stanko said, “I have about five more years to run as fast as I can. I want to share the sport and encourage the young people to do it. It is possible they can become an Olympian or a good role model. It is about getting the next generation prepared.”

photo courtesy of sierra BAIN

photo courtsey of sierra BAIN

“”-Tim Beebe,

Resigning coach

The toughest part is that it was both of our dreams.

14 October 30, 2009 sports

Senior Tiffany Oricchio“The Haslett Invite was top notch,” she said.Tiffany Oricchio is a hard worker. She’s been

training since April. She does doubles (two practices per day) and she hasn’t stopped.

Before her meets, she eats pasta and scrambled eggs. She went on a recruiting trip to MSU but is still undecided on where she wants to go next year.

All her competition is against Okemos. She trains with them in the off season and watch-es their times and tries to beat them during the season since it’s separate.

She has broken several records and has many personal bests. Several of her records are: a 1.56 200-yd Free Style, a 101.8 100-yd Butterfly, a 5:11 500-yd Free Style, a 1:04:09 100-yd Back Stroke, and a 1:14:09 100-yd Breast Stroke.

A T H L E T E S O F T H E M O N T H

Senior Ian HanckeIan Hancke’s most important race was against Corunna.

His legs weren’t [feeling] very well and he wasn’t feeling the race either. Two runners were in front of him and they were pushing their pace. After a mile and a half, they slowed down and Ian pulled through and finished in first place.

He trains every day in season and almost every day dur-ing the off-season. Before his races, Ian stays relaxed. He doesn’t over think it.

“Whatever happens, happens,” is his motto.Before the races, he stays calm and does a 20 minute

warm up. Then he stretches, drinks water and Gatorade and clears his mind.

Ian’s goal is to keep his record undefeated for States this year. He wants to go to college to run, and believes that by winning States he will be looked at by colleges.

Ian first broke the 10 minute two-mile at DeWitt. He ran at his own pace, and won. He also ran a 15:58 3.1-mile last year at States.

photo courtesy of ian HANCKE

photo by taylor PARKER

Ian takes the lead in the race to get one of his many first place wins.

Tiffany works on her Buttferly stroke as she races to get first place in this event.

by lexis GUARNACCIA

October 30, 200915 sports

We have the questions, they have the answers8X5by chris ANDRESON and zach

PARKER

VolleyballMolly Ste-phensSenior27-13-3

Describe your season in one word:

Cross CountryTravis StirewaltSophomore

Favorite Movie? Favorite Pro Sports Team? Favorite Soup?How about those Lions?

Beef Stew

Awesome Fight Club Chicago Bears They suck Clam Chowder

Ratatouille Tigers Devastating French Onion

Undefeated Twilight Tigers They suck Tortilla

Legit Gran Torino Pittsburgh Steelers Disappointing

Exciting Transformers 2 Atlanta Braves Really bad Chicken Noodle

Interesting Seven Pounds Tampa Bay Rays

Don’t watch Chicken NoodleI don’t knowTitanicFun

Win Beerfest Long Island Lizards Garrrr....

Chicken Noodle

Varsity FootballJosh DelaneyJunior5-4

JV FootballGriffin MarinezSophomore8-1

SwimmingTaylor VanceJunior8-1

TennisAaron LaatschFreshman12-1-1

Girls GolfChelsea RootSophomore5-2

SoccerIan CulverSenior15-3-7

Brett Allen: The coach’s sonby kerry MORRIS

The scoreboard is tied at 20 points, and the game is going into overtime. All the fans in the stands at the Michigan State University versus University of Michigan game were watching intensely as though they felt the emotion being played on the field.

Junior Brett Allen, son of Tim Allen, MSU’s Director of Football Operations, had a whole different feel as he stood on the field while number 22 ran in the winning touchdown.

“Everything’s a lot more intense, all the emotions are a lot more serious,” Allen said. “Everything is magnified 100 times.”

Throughout his childhood, Allen has been raised around football.

“The game is in my blood, it seems like it is physically a part of me,” he said.

His dad has been coaching all

Allen’s life, working at University of Kansas to the University of Minnesota and now MSU. Just like his dad, Allen plans to be a Division 1 football coach.

“I see how happy it makes my dad, and how excited he is to go to work,” Allen said. “It has always been my dream.”

His little brother Brandon Allen wants to follow in his father’s footsteps as well. “It’s a family thing,” Brett Allen said.

Being a starting football player on Haslett’s varsity team adds to his love for the game. Instead of seeing it as just a contact sport with an attitude of “just hit somebody,” Allen sees it as so much more.

“Me and my dad both see it as a chess game,” Allen said. “We see the players as chess pieces. The better the player, the higher the meaning of the piece. The best player is the Queen.”

With such a different way to view the sport, the question was

posed if he felt intimidated when his dad watched him play. “When I was little I was nervous because with everything I did, I knew my dad had a better play. But now I just see it as my dad watching his son play, and not my dad as a division one coach, because I know just as much as he does now.” Allen said.

Although being a coach’s son may appear to be something everyone might want, it comes with its struggles too. Allen was new to Haslett High School last year due to his dad getting fired along with the entire staff at Minnesota. After living in Woodbury, MN his entire life, he had to leave his five best friends and start all over.

His feelings on being the son of such and important man were evident when he said, “It’s awesome because of all the perks you get, but you have to take the good with the bad.”

When there is a win, that’s when there are the perks. The family gets the respect they deserve from everyone. The peers, the radio, the TV and the newspaper all rave about the team and coaches. But when there is a loss, they have to take all the smack talk from everyone who praised them the last week.

“Most people see it as just a team, but I see it as a business, and people like my dad get fired when the business isn’t doing good,” Allen said.

Even though there is a lot of pressure being a coach, Allen has done and will always do everything he can to get to that point. His ideal goal is to coach for the Dallas Cowboys. With his talent, capabilities and his dad’s determination for his son’s future, Allen has great resolve. This is a dream he refuses to let go of, and something his dad plans on living to see come true.

photo by liz BAKER

Brett Allen sits at the football field he is familiar with from Friday nights.

Oh God...

New England Clam Chowder (only if fresh)

Interesting

What do you do to prepare for game day?We all usually go home, get showered and go to Subway. Once we get back to the school we all have to get our uniforms on which is a huge ordeal. It takes about 45 minutes for us all to get dressed. But personally, I don’t have a ritual or anything. Uniformity is a huge part of the band and that is what we always strive for.

Are you nervous when you get out to the field?Yes it is nerve wracking but it is a bit different because I am out-side of the whole group. I don’t want to make a mistake because [as drum major] they depend on me to conduct them. But I am con-fident that in my group that if I make a mistake they will be able to keep the performance going.

What are you thinking when you get out there?I usually run through the song that I need to con-duct just to make sure I have the right speed to start. Plus I wear an earpiece so I hear Mr. (David) Gott in my head telling me when to start.

How do you feel about your band as a whole?I am really proud of them. I have tried to total the hours that they have practiced and I have lost count. The amount of work they put into this band is tremendous. Plus the freshmen have learned so quickly and effectively. They blew me away. The band makes me proud to be their drum major and it is an honor to work with them.

What are the thoughts going through your mind after a good performance?I get so much energy. I am ready to cheer. It is like the student section. There is a huge adrenaline rush and it’s really powerful.

16 back of the boatOctober 30, 2009

Sides to Every Story Sides to Every Story2 What do you do to prepare for game day?“I have to be alone. I just put my iPod in and walk around the school. I think about how hard I’ve worked to get to this place and how hard I need to work in the game that night.”

Are you nervous when you get out to the field?“It’s more of a feeling of anticipation and excitement rather than nerves. I have been playing football for 10 years so I know what it feels like to be out there.”

What are you thinking when you get out there?

“I think about what it is that I need to do and why I’m there. I think

about how much I love football and I tell myself that I better not mess up.”

How do you feel about your team as a whole?“There is a lot of young talent on our team. It would be nice to have the older experience though. The team will be really good next

year because of all of the young players.”

What are the thoughts going through your mind after a good performance? “I feel happy and

somewhat relieved because I know that

we have another game under our belts. It gives me

something to be proud of.”

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L O C A L & I N D E P E N D E N T

M e r i d i a n M a l l , O k e m o s 5 1 7 - 3 4 9 - 8 8 4 0

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by hannah nowicki

Connecting the community

Gavan Lienhart, senior Colin Kopke, senior