Rowing Team

Safety dog assembly

Above: Principle Dr. Rick Vandermolen, Athletic director Mark Mattson, and guest Kim Heys, pose with Dash after a demonstration for the school with the use of contraband such as sealed alcohol and gunpowder to highlight Dash’s capabilities. “The benefit to students was to be introduced to the dog and to Kim and see how the process is going to be.” Mattson said.

Central introduces new drug dog initiative in hopes of enforcing a drug free campus and protecting Central’s students and staff

Hayley ScollardBusiness Manager

n Wednesday, September 23rd a “drug dog” assembly

was held to introduce a new program that Central will be collabo-rating with this year. The program, called Interquest Canine Detection Services, will be a pilot program for the 2015-16 school year. The purpose of the assembly was to inform high schoolers about the Interquest Detection Canines and what the dogs will be searching for. This new program will not interfere with Central’s school day, which differs from previous programs. Instead, it will coexist with the regular school environ-ment with unexpected visits throughout the school year. “They can be in the building and school can keep going just like normal,” Central High School’s lead principal, Rick Vandermolen,

said. “We may have a classroom search but it’s not going to involve the whole school being in controlled lock down where everybody has to stay in a classroom, which tends to be less disruptive for learning.” Vandermolen referred to the new procedure as being one more ef-fort to plug the hole in the dam of substance abuse. “We have many strategies, but none of them work for every single situation,” Vandermolen said. “We try to create a scenario where we have multiple strategies to try to deter students from bringing illegal substances on campus.” Preventing drugs is an attainable goal, however according to James Brumfield, se-curity guard at Central, it’s nearly impossible to have a drug free campus. “You have people standing at the gate, people in the parking lots, and principals in the hallways but how

do you prevent drugs from coming to the school?” Brumfield said. Student responsi-bility prevents kids from bringing drugs

to school. It

also helps that the Interquest Detection Canines visit campus when students aren’t aware. “If students don’t know when the dogs are coming in, then they’ll think twice about bringing drugs to school,” Brumfield said. The school board has thought twice about making sure Interquest complies with the school policy and laws regarding drug searches and seizures. “It fits with school policy, we’re not doing anything to violate that,” Brian Burns, assistant principal at Central High School said. “For them to even come and offer it to

schools, which they’re already doing around the state, they’ve went through that process of making sure that it is legal.” If suspicions are raised toward a student,

Interquest doesn’t perform the search, the police do. However, the police can search your car if it is on school property and they don’t always have to have a search warrant. If an admin-istrator was to search a student for drugs or al-cohol, they would only have to have reasonable suspicion. “We [administrators] have looser guidelines. Police have to know for sure, they have to have a warrant,” Burns said. Students can refuse administrators or police to search at first. However it raises more suspicions. “You’re telling us you’re guilty if you

don’t let us look,” Burns said. “If it becomes a crime for instance, if we think the student was drinking and that they may have possession, they won’t let us look. We would let the police know, but then we would also ask them to do a Breatha-lyzer.” Even if a student doesn’t possess drugs, Brumfield still feels it’s important to allow police to conduct a search. “It’s five or ten min-utes to search, better safe than sorry. Most of the time when the dogs hit on bags, you can smell it,” Brumfield said. Keeping our schools safe and free of sub-stance abuse is vital for not only the safety of the school, but the students and com-munity, only taking a few minutes of their time to be sure they are substance free. “Drugs mess up schools, communities, and cities,” Brumfield said.“So why would we want them?”

Printing limits enabled in LMCA new printing policy, Paper Cut, has been implemented on Central High School staff and students to limit paper usage in the library for the 2015-16 school year. “It just made sense to do it over the summer and get started with the new printing policy this year as opposed to waiting,” Central’s librarian, Kerri Woughter, said. “Also for the first time they had a program that would allow them to track and control student printing.” Even a small change like using a certain amount of paper deeply affects Central’s budget. “The paper is a sucker of resources. We were spending much more money on paper

than West was,” Woughter said. “We can recapture that money, then we can use it for things that are actually going to benefit the students as opposed to a huge recycling heap.” With the printing policy change, there is also a new way to print on students’ netbooks. Like the paper absorbing TCAPS budget, the new print-ing installation also is quick to steal student’s time and patience. “It’s been hard figuring out exactly how to use it and remember all of the steps,” Natalie Wagner ‘17 said. “In every class I have, there’s been at least one person who doesn’t know how to use it. I don’t think it’s a good thing because

it’s taking class time away, time is being wasted trying to figure out what to do.” Fortunately, there was an instructional video on how to download printers at school onto netbooks sent to all student e-mails. “I would encourage every-body, if it doesn’t happen in the next week, to watch the video that’s in your e-mail,” Woughter said. “It’s a piece of cake after that.”

Check Sports, page 4, to see this year’s new-ly established Central Rowing Team and how their season has progressed this fall

&2015 MIPA Spartan Award WinnerGold

Traverse City Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive, Traverse City, Michigan 49686

Volume 95 Issue 1October 14th, 2015

BlackThe Auditorium Status Turn to Arts and Entertainment for an inside look the updates for Central’s Auditorium renovation. Including the process, time line, and new updates

Briefs

This school year, the TCAPS school district has updated the much used Google Docs system with new ad-ditions to the program.

“Google recently added

the Google Classroom feature,”

Tech central staff member, Sophie Legault said. The ben-efits are when you’re sharing a document, you can share it easier with the Google Class-room than you can through the share feature on Google Docs.” New features such as Google Classroom and the

TCAPS app store are ac-cessible for both students and staff and will help make assignments and notices more available. “I’ve used google classroom for AP Literature and it’s really convenient because you can see when the due dates are,” Niki Roxbury ‘16 said. “You see all of your assignments and when they’re due, it gives little explanations, and all of your assignments are right there with instructions so it has been helpful to see that.” Since the commencement of this school year, Google Docs has suffered some tech-nological problems, causing

students and staff to not have access to the new programs. Despite the issues, Google Docs has proven to be an effective and helpful resource for students and staff alike and with the addition of the new technology updates, it will be beneficial to Central. “I think the biggest struggle sometimes is when sharing documents with staff because staff have two e-mail addresses right now, student.net and tcaps.net,” Legault said. “Sometimes that can be confusing, hopefully that won’t be a problem in the future because everyone will be under one system.”

New and improved Google Docs

TCAPS begins new vaccine Policy New immunization law makes it mandatory for all students to have vaccines or face no attendance

On August 15, 2015 new Mich-igan immunization laws made it a requirement that all students who enter and attend Michigan schools must have a certificate of immunization on file or a signed waiver. For most, this is just a minor change, possibly prompting some parents to be more attentive of their chil-dren’s vaccines. But for others, it is a much larger situation. “It states in the handbook: ‘A student may have a signed medical waiver from the Health Department if they oppose vaccinations,” Traverse City Central High School counselor, Diane Burden said.” If a li-censed physician has completed the Medical Contradiction Form, the parent objects for religious, philosophical or other reasons, or for any student experiencing homelessness.” For children in Michigan ages 11-18, a total of 15 vaccines are required to attend class. If a student or parent does not wish to comply with the new law, they must obtain the signed waiver from the Michigan Health Department.

“It scares me to think that kids are not being able to attend school because of their beliefs,” said Burden, “which makes me wonder what the real reason is behind these waivers.” Some vaccine preventable diseases have made a comeback in certain areas where children are not being sufficiently immu-nized. TCAPS official website warns that not vaccinating a child can put those without vaccines at major risk, such as infants who can not receive certain vaccines at their age. “Any vaccine-preventable disease can strike at any time in the U.S. because all of these diseases still circulate either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” Center for Disease

Control article on the TCAPS official website said. “Some-times vaccine-preventable diseases cause outbreaks, that is, clusters of cases in a given area.” Some parents believe that, by giving their child a vaccination, they are putting them at risk. “I understand as a parent why somebody would opt out of that because of a belief they have,” Burden said. “I am aware of religions and cultures that believe it is a violation of their belief.” In the United States, there has been a rift in opinions on vaccines, even locally. “I can understand why parents feel that it is important to immunize their children because they believe that those immunizations would protect them from diseases,” Burden, said. “I also understand the fear that some parents have about possible side effects or devastating consequences if they believe those vaccina-tions could actually harm their children.” For the most part, parents of students at TCAPS have been extremely open to vaccines, and no such outbreaks are expected. “We’ve had more parents that came in that haven’t previ-ously vaccinated that are open to it now,” local nurse of the Traverse Teen Health Clinic, Alicia Mason, said. “Most of the parents that are against vaccines are going to the health department to sign the waivers to opt out of it.” Despite the controversy, stu-dents are still able to transition into a new school year whether they received vaccinations or obtained an opt out waiver. “Many people came in the week before school and then the first week of school,” Mason said. “People were very concerned that their kids would not be able to start on the first day so we actually turned some people away because we got too full or we ran out of a specific vaccine.” For those opposed to the bill or who agree with it, TCAPS has ensured that it will not breach upon the community’s rights. “I don’t think it’s a breach of our rights,” Traverse City Central student, Joe Bourd-ages ‘16 said, “because it is not mandatory, you can get waivers if you’re religious or have other reasons against getting the vac-cines.” A new regulation always pro-

Jackson ConlonStaff Reporter

Promoting a drug free campus

Graphic Credit: E. Simon

We have multiple strategies to try to deter students from bringing illegal substances on campus. -Dr. Vandermolen“ ”

Photo Courtesy: M. Mattson

Graphic: H. Lancashire

See Vaccine, pg. 6

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Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 20152 Opinionthe

Blac

k & G

old

Editors-in-ChiefMaddi MillerJulia Vannatter

News EditorKristin McLintock

Opinion EditorCarly Hernden

Feature EditorMaddi Miller

A&E EditorJulia Vannatter

Sports EditorNoah Aulicino

Focus Page EditorBethany Pataky

Introspec EditorsMaddi MillerAbbie Crick

Taylor Weckstein

Business ManagersKirsten BerkeyHayley Scollard

Photo EditorEmma Simon

Illustration EditorHenry Lancashire

Staff ReportersAndrea BavikattyJackson ConlonAbby HarnishJack MyersFelicia Nahlen Ron-

gioneFletcher ReyherAutumn RobertsNicole RogersMorgan SheldonAlex SternAiden StiebelAbigail Vannatter

Baille Zipser

Send us an email at tc-cblackand-gold@gmail.com or drop off a letter to the editor in room F-158

GOP debateRepublican candidates face off in a second round of presidential debates

Eleven leading Republican candidates for Presi-dent of the United States gathered at the Ronald Reagan Library for the second round of the Republican (G.O.P) debate on September 16th. In the background was President Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One symbolizing the game show like debate politicians take pride in. The candidates discussed many issues ranging from foreign policy to social security. The debate was supervised by Jack Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent. Each candidate was allowed one minute to answer a question and 30 seconds for follow up questions. Tapper asked follow up questions to guide the discussion and diminish each candidate’s ability to dodge questions. Instead of talking about how they would fix a problem, candidates avoided certain questions and deliberately attacked other politicians. It was almost like a boxing match. President Barack Obama’s name was negatively mentioned 29 times while surprisingly the leading republican candidate, Donald Trump, received 21 critical comments. I find it odd that fellow republicans are dissing someone who sup-ports their party. Talking for 18 minutes, Trump dominated the debate for 18 minutes with the help of Tapper asking him 13 questions. Jeb Bush trailed behind with 9 questions. “We don’t need an apprentice in the White House,” Scott Walker said in defense of Obama.. “We have one there right now.” This received many nods from fellow republican candidates Questions directed toward Trump were imma-ture and targeted for unintelligent Americans who want arguments rather than debates. Nonetheless, Trump was absolutely thrilled to receive this much attention. “Would you feel comfortable with Donald Trump’s finger on the nuclear codes?” Tapper asked 2016 presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. Why is this debate fueled by emotionally charged questions? Trump made his first attack of the night by saying “Well, first of all, Rand Paul shouldn’t even be on this stage.” Like a bully on the playground harassing others for attention Trump deliberately puts other candidates down to see a rise in polls. Fueling the fire, Trump also made many claims that didn’t add up, such as “vaccines give kids au-tism,” when in reality there is no medical evidence to support this. Trump’s attitude makes it difficult for him to get along with people. This will make our country more dangerous to the rest of the world. Trump has made it very clear the amount of money he has made in his life to the point where viewers at home were rolling their eyes. Trump is filthy rich and is a hothead who doesn’t have the slightest clue what it’s like to be a lower or middle class citizen. Trump is making a mockery of American politics, and it should make every American sick that he is number one in the Republican polls. In the eyes of a this viewer, Trump lost the debate due to his bullyish attitude. Fiorina was the clear winner of the night because she held her ground against Trump and challenged his credentials as a businessman. Former Arkansas

Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Senator Ted Cruz both failed to take opportunities to stand out on the stage and refused to take on Trump. Both also revealed an unwillingness to engage fel-low candidates on key political issues. This might have jeopardized their race all together. As a country shouldn’t we step back and look at the big picture of political elections? Are we letting our future representatives manipulate the system by being as obnoxious as possible? In America, being obnoxious seems to give candi-dates more popularity. Let’s not be sucked into Trump’s game, that’s exactly what he wants. Our future president might not be the best, but the most ridiculous.

Art censorshipControversial sculpture, Paradise Built on the Bones of the Slaughtered de-nied access to Artprize competition

very year, people from around the world come to Grand Rapids to visit ArtPrize, a nonprofit, inde-

pendently organized competition. From September 23rd to October 11th, various venues in downtown Grand Rapids will display artwork in all shapes and sizes. Artist Nabil Mousa traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to place his piece Paradise Built on the Bones of the Slaughtered in the competition. Mousa’s entry symbolizes the loss of life from every religion due to 9/11. In it burned pieces of religious texts such as the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran are stuck out of beams designed to look like the Twin Towers. The curator of City Hall im-mediately approached Mousa,

wanting to place his piece in the Calder Plaza venue. At the time, the curator was not aware the 10 city-owned locations, including City Hall, required approval from the city’s Arts Advisory Committee in order to display artist’s work. The Committee rejected Mousa’s piece leaving the artist only 12 days to find a new location to showcase his work. According to Mousa, two other venues showed interest only to change their minds the next day. The Harris Building in particular showed potential for Mousa, but owner Bob Dykstra declined the piece due to the difficulty of mov-ing such a large piece to a vacant spot on the second floor. “All I wanted to do was open up dialogue to talk about peace and harmony,” Mousa explained according to Fox 17 News Station. “Instead it has been turned into a circus act by the Grand Rapids city officials.”

The Syrian-American artist has, personally had a difficult religious past. Mousa grew up Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. He struggled coming out as gay to his parents because of his various religious beliefs and their teachings. This struggle for identity played a role in his inspiration for this piece. “Here I am, a gay man, in a religion that’s telling me that if I’m gay, in the eyes of God I may as well be dead,” Mousa said, “and it was really very hard for me to cope with that.” Mousa says he built the sculpture as a statement that people don’t always incorporate religious teach-ings in their lives, that religions are often in conflict with themselves. The sculpture is not an expression of anger against religion, Mousa clarifies his intent was unity, not division. “There has been so much atrocity in the name of religion,” Mousa said. “Each one claims to be the right religion, and everyone else is doomed in the eyes of their own God. So, if you’re not opening up your holy book and finding out what the true message is from your religion, you might as well burn it.” Mousa did not specifically create this sculpture to offend people. He was once a devout Christian and had no intention to attack any religious belief, instead he is using religion as a whole to get a point across, that message being the necessity of religious unity. We at the Black & Gold believe that art is a form of expression and different people will respond dif-ferently, negatively and positively. This suggest the age old question whether or not an artist should tailor their work to make everyone happy or create art that reflects the times in which they exist. Contro-versial art is crucial in this day in age because it reflects modern day issues and

A modern day Pinocchio Comedian–actor, Steve Rannazzisi, once claimed to be in the South Tower on 9/11, but his story has changed for the worse

Comedic actor Steve Rannazzisi claims he was on the 54th floor of the South Tower in New York City on the day of September 11th, 2001. After all the trembling and shock from the North Tower being pelted by an airplane, he supposedly managed to escape the building and clear the scene before the second tower was hit and collapsed. Rannazzisi was apparently also in Midtown, New York that same day when the North Tower was struck. It’s interesting how the logic in a liars mind works. Many interviewers and journalists were suspicious that Rannazzisi was actually in the South Tower on 9/11. Nothing he was saying about his personal experience added up to make it clear that he was there and escaped to safety. The disgusting truth was revealed 14 years later. A New York Times article published on September 16, 2015, shares the conversation between Rannazzisi and his publicist, Matthew Labov. “I was not at the Trade Center on that day,” Rannazzisi explained to Labov. “I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry.” He can apologize as many times as he would like to, but that doesn’t change the fact that thousands of innocent people died and he ma-nipulated the sorrow to benefit himself. It’s disheartening that someone would have the audacity to lie about something so traumatizing. There is a fine line regarding what someone can do for fame, and this is by far crossing that line. Rannazzisi received way too much positive recognition for his brave “experience.” Did he even take into consideration all the survivors and their families? Rannazzisi used the situation and the audiences vulnerabil-ity to further expand his fame. For the past 14 years, his lie has got him in the spotlight he wanted, but now it’s back to bite him in the butt. It’s a good thing he got the sorrow and sympathy he was looking for while it lasted. What was going through his mind when he created this disinforma-tion? So many things could have been said differently to make this sound

even the slightest bit more practical. If I were Rannazzisi, I would make sure the situation sounds as believable as possible before I go blabbing about how big of a hero I am to the world. “A plane hit our building, and the party ended there,” Rannazzisi ex-plained to Marc Maron, a reporter for Youtube’s WTF News. “The first tower got hit and we were jostled all over the place. I ran downstairs to check things out and it was just like, bang.” Is it just me or does this sound unbelievable? Even the average 14 year old, myself included, can see the true personality behind this sad excuse of a man and know that every word that just came out of his mouth is completely fabricated. I have just one thing to say to you Mr.Rannazzisi, don’t get too big headed about being a “hero.” We all have issues, but Steve Rannazzisi seems to have some bigger than most. So to the next guy who thinks it’s a good idea to throw together an unrealistic story for the glory of it, let this be a lesson of what not to do.

Carly HerndenOpinion Editor

Fletcher ReyherStaff Reporter

“Artists absolutely have the right to deface religious pieces. There isn’t really a line, it’s art. It’s their freedom and they have the right. ” -Matt Failor ‘19

“We as Ameri-can citizens have a right to express our-selves and our opinions. City Hall’s decision to deny the artwork was reasonable..” -Ben Michno ‘17

“You need to be respectful of all beliefs. It shouldn’t be accept-able to put the piece in public places

where everyone can see.” -Delaney Jorgenson ‘18

Abigail VannatterStaff Reporter

“I say there shouldn’t be a line drawn with art. People will never be happy with what you cre-

ate. There shouldn’t be a limit.” -Nichole Wilson ‘16

See ArtPrize, pg. 6

All Graphics: H. Lancashire

E

Sitting on the edge of a sunlit canal with the sun bak-ing down on her shoulders, Abby Caldwell ‘18 takes a glimpse at the beautiful view of Amsterdam. Caldwell gazes at the boats chugging by and the people hustling down busy streets and realizes how fortunate she is to experience the magnificence of a foreign country. “I have a better understanding of how the world works now,” Caldwell said. “My trip gave me perspec-tive. Not every culture operates the same way. An obvious statement, but when you see the workings of a different culture firsthand, you are able to see how there could be conflicts amongst countries through the differences in social norms.” Over the summer, Caldwell had the opportunity to take a three-week-long trip around Europe through the People to People organization. The group visited seven countries (England, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and the Netherlands), allowing Caldwell and the other participants the opportunity to both see tourist highlights and experience life in the dif-ferent countries as locals. For the majority of the tour, the group stayed in hotels, but Caldwell also stayed with a German host family for a few days. “I understand much more about German society af-ter having experienced living with a local German fam-ily,” Caldwell said. “I saw how they interacted and what they did on a day-to-day basis. It was really interesting to see the differences between the culture in Germany and the culture here.” While staying with her host German family, Caldwell attended school with a student in the morning, and participated in activities with the family in the after-noon. “When I was in the Black Forest in Germany, my host family took me to the largest natural waterfall there,” Caldwell said. “It is huge and I thought it was so cool because I love waterfalls. We got to hike around and play in the water. I was thinking, ‘I’m hiking in Germany, and I’m in German water. How can my life get any better?’” Learning about different countries and cultures is something that Caldwell considers to be important and vital to making the most of her time in a foreign country. “The world is so large, and so when you’re close minded, I think it’s a lot harder to experience and enjoy everything that you could in life,” Caldwell said. “There are so many things you could do and so many places you could go.” Due to Caldwell’s openness to new cultures, she was able to take in everything that the trip had to offer and participate in many new, unique experiences. One of Caldwell’s most unforgettable memories was at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. “It sounds very cliche, but standing up there, I had never thought that it would be so quiet,” Caldwell said.

“I was looking out, seeing how sprawled-out Paris is, how the buildings and architecture compared to that of all the cities that we have in the U.S. It was so beautiful and huge.” In addition to learning about European countries, Caldwell made lifelong friends with the other partici-pants in the program. “By the time we were in Austria, our sixth country, everyone knew each other, so there was no awkward feelings between us,” Caldwell said. “It was a really special feeling.” Because Caldwell had such an amazing experience in Europe, going back would be of interest to her. Next time, Caldwell would want to go alone or with friends

or family in order to experience life more like a local. “I enjoyed going with an organization because I got to see a lot of the touristy spots and major highlights,” Caldwell said. “When I go back, however, I want to experience more of the actual city and continue to be-come more accepting to other people’s ideas and their societal norms. To develop respect for the uniqueness of each country while I’m there. You have a lot more fun when you respect a culture because then you can be fully immersed in it.”

Feature 3Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 2015

Katy Kotimko ‘16 expresses her love and remembrance for her brother, Kody, who passed away from cerebral palsy, with a symbolic and meaning-ful tattoo. “We used to tell Kody every single night, ‘I love you to the moon and back, Kody,’” Kotimko said. “I really like moons and I think they express him very well.”

Jonas Brons-Piche ‘17 dyed his hair from brown to white this summer. “I did it for myself, I don’t care what other people think,” Brons-Piche said. “I was thinking that if I were to lose an opportunity or job because of the way I looked, I wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of it anyway.”

Anthony Berry ‘16 sports his unique plaid suit. “I got it last year in New York City because I bet my mom that if I won my race at Nationals, she would buy me a suit, and I won,” Barry said. “I like it because it’s different. No one here wears anything like it.” Jensen Diment ‘16 bought his 1927 Chevy V20 off Craig’s list this sum-mer. “I want to travel after I graduate and that is the perfect vehicle for that.” Diment said. “I love that it can fit eight people and that it has a kitchen in it.”

Providence Rosendal ‘18 was inspired to get gauges after seeing other friends with them. “It’s simple. I like the way they look,” Rosendal said. “Some people think they look awkward or gross, but I think that it’s a way of showing other people that you’re different.”

Students at Central showcase their self-expression in many different ways. Some through hair, fashion, piercings, tattoos or even cars

Around Europe in 21 daysAbby Caldwell ‘18 explores seven European countries over the course of three weeks this summer

Katy Kotimko Anthony Berry & Jensen Diment Providence RosendalJonas Brons-Piche

Kirsten BerkeyBusiness Manager

All Photos: E

. Simon

All G

raphics: H. Lancashire

S p i r i t P a s s i o n E x p r e s s i o n

Pencils fly across the paper as Meredith Nelson ‘16 vigorously scrawls song lyrics onto a messy sheet of paper to craft her latest musical masterpiece. Nelson lifts her guitar onto her lap, and with delicate precision, begins to fill the room with her soft angelic music that acts as a way to reveal Nelson’s truest self. “Writing music is my outlet,” Nelson said. “I don’t have any other way to show my-self because I am super awkward. My music helps me express my feelings in a way I couldn’t before by releasing them into the world so they are no longer trapped inside. Music is my guide in troubling times.” Nelson has been writing music since middle school and she is constantly inspired by other artists that help influence her writing style. “I really like Ed Sheeran, he’s really awesome,” Nelson said. “I can connect with his music style because, like me, all he uses is his guitar and his voice. I like to play contemporary and pop music like him as well. He’s taught me simplicity is key in music and has taught me to condense what I want to say into something smaller and more eloquent.” Regardless of how much she loves music, it does not come easy for Nelson as she has encountered many trial and error situations over the years as a young artist. “A lot of the times it’s hard to find the right words to convey my personal feelings and it can be difficult to write about,” Nelson said. “In my music, I am constantly looking for more of a universal connection between people. I am really interested in bigger questions about life because music has something in it that other people can connect to. I want to tell the answers to these big life questions in my music so people can have something they can relate to in moments of personnel issues.” Throughout years of writing song lyrics, Nelson has learned a lot about amazing music and the ways for other young artists to better their talents. “The first thing to writing good songs is to follow your instinct,” Nelson said. “When you hear others say beautiful things just write it down, document it, put it in a file, voice record it, store it any way possible. Some of the best songs I have written have been ex- panded off of little things I have heard that I documented.” Although she is unsure where her future lies, Nelson plans on expand- ing on her musical talents and is considering a potential future career out of it. “I’m not sure if I consider music to be a really enthusiastic hobby, my career or if I am going to shoot for sort of that Ed Sheeran fame,” Nelson said. “But I do know music is my passion and I love every- thing about it. I like songwriting, perform- ing, using my voice and learning different instruments, so there is a wide spectrum of options open to me.” To Nelson, music is more than a series of notes strung together on a sheet of paper. It is her passion, escape and lifeline. “Music is awesome. It is universal,” Nelson said. “Even if someone doesn’t speak the same language we can still connect with music. Feeling that emotion can be the same with everyone and I think that is really cool. Music can connect all sorts of different people. There is something really personal I will always love about music.”

Escaping through musicCentral student Meredith Nelson ‘16 finds an out-let through writing her own music

Andrea BavikattyStaff Reporter

Eiffel tower of Paris

Louvre

Buckingham Palace

Heidelburg Castle

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 20154 SportsRow, row, row your boat

Rowing Coach Erik Zehender stood on the dock while he watched the girls get ready to go out on the water. They retrieved their eight-person boats and lowered them into the water, while the coxen yelled directions to keep everyone’s actions in unison. Zehender decided to start the rowing club when he heard about his family’s plans for their property. His property, which includes Foun-tain Point Resort, was a perfect location for the new rowing team to practice. “Fountain Point Resort is the family farm and I decided to keep it how it was,” Zehender said. “I also decided to start a rowing club instead of building a 60-home subdivision.” Zehender began rowing in early adulthood, and it has been a major part of his life ever since. When he chose to create the team instead of developing a neighborhood, he hoped to give teenagers a chance to experience something that was significant in his own life—rowing. “Rowing ended up being a big part of my college experience,” Ze-hender said. “I loved being on the Chicago River and going to national regattas. I ended up having a major leadership position on the team.” It can be hard to get a job right out of college, however, rowing can provide better opportunities fo athletes. “The lessons that are taught in rowing about the intensity of the team and the teamwork itself is very attractive to employers,” Zehender said. “So I was given some of the best job opportunities straight out of college.” Growing up in Northern Michigan, Zehender felt a strong attach-ment to the area and had many fond memories from when he was in high school. Still fond of rowing, he decided his family’s land was the perfect location for a rowing club. “In the fall the team typically does long distance, such as 3.5 to 5 kilometer races and in the spring, they are shorter, 2000 meter sprints,” Zehender said. “The narrow straits of Lake Leelanau are perfect for windy days.” This is the first year that he has coached a high school rowing team. TCAPS approached him, and asked him if he would be willing to do so. “TCAPS told me to start with the girls, and the boys will follow,” Zehender said. Not only is Fountain Point Resort now home to the Traverse City Central and West girls rowing teams, but they also are home to an equally sized boys and girls middle school rowing team, a breast cancer survivors group from Munson Medical Center, a Boy Scout merit badge program, along with Black Bear Sculling, a nationally recognized and highly qualified rowing organization since 1889. “The breast cancer survivors have been working with the high school girls team and they have been going out every Monday and Thursday to row,” Zehender said. “They have been very motivated and excited to compete in a regatta, which they will be doing soon.” Compared to high school football where roughly one in 50 guys will receive a full-ride scholarship, in girls rowing, one in three girls will get a full-ride scholarship to row in college. Not only does rowing help immensely with getting into a college, but it can also help tremendously with getting a job. “My times are close to being at the point where I could row for division one schools like Yale,” Abby Green 16’ said. “But I’m also interested in rowing just for fun at a division three school.”

Going forward, Zehender has a good feeling about the team. He thinks that they have been doing an amazing job and been working very hard. An interesting aspect about the high school rowing teams that Ze-hender highlights is that they have a high drive for teamwork. Instead of letting our cross-town rivalry get in the way, Central and West High School opted to combine forces and make one powerful team. This way they will have better chances of winning in the competitions than they would have, had they stayed separated. “I thought we should have Central and West battling it out,” Ze-hender said. “But they didn’t want that, they wanted the best regional boat possible, it’s kind of like a super team.” All of the girls started rowing this fall in early August, so none of them had ever rowed before. “It is really neat to see how it all comes together,” Green said. “Be-cause we just started this year and we are all novice rowers.” With teamwork being so vital in the overall performance, team-building is a must. “One of the hardest things is being all together at one time on the boat, keeping it stable, and rowing together,” Maggie Duppie ‘17 said. “We work on a lot of teamwork drills, like hesitation drills where we practice all stopping together.” The team is not only driven by teamwork but they are an integral part of the community. All of the equipment required for rowing is very expensive. A single eight-person boat can cost upwards of forty thou-sand dollars. It can also be expensive to participate in the sport. That is why Zehender gives every member the opportunity to cut out over half of that cost, in exchange for 25 hours of volunteering time—which may include helping out with other rowing groups, such as the middle school team. “I hope to start a boys rowing team as soon as TCAPS approves it,” Zehender said. “And I hope that there are lots of people interested in joining.”

LEAP sponsored, multi-school girls rowing crew takes root at Lake Lelanau’s scenic Fountain Point Resort

Shelby Richards ‘19 didn’t start playing foot-ball until last year, but she has wanted to play since she was 10 years-old. “In eighth grade, a couple of my friends were wanting to do something that was all boy-ish, so I decided that I’m going to prove to people I’m able to do more than what they can, and I’m going to do a boy sport,” Rich-ards said. “I knew that I wanted to play, but I never really had the guts to start.” Although Richards has completed her goal of playing football, there are still obstacles that remain such as finding acceptance on an all male team. Due to occasional rude com-ments and jokes, she has to make an effort to find acceptance and faces group ridicule, even among teammates. “I feel that not all of the people appreciate who I am. It’s like, ‘Hey, it’s a girl on a team, and I’m a boy so let’s gang up on her and tease her,’” Richards said. Learning to ignore what Richard’s team-

mates are saying to her has gotten easier over the years. “I honestly don’t really pay attention to any of that anymore,” Richards said. “It’s gotten way easier to ignore what people say to me and how they look at me.” After getting through her first practice, Richards adjusted quickly and proved her abil-ity to complete anything that her teammates

can. “Being a girl, running was hard because of the pads pushing down on my chest and so it was really hard to breathe,” Richards said. Despite the hurdle of her practice pads, Richards feels she was still able to excel on the field. “I thought the first practice was pretty easy, and I think I did really well. It was a lot of conditioning rather than tackling,” Richards said. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was difficult and hard to get through, but I just kept going.” Even though the team had a rocky start, losing their first game, Richards thought the game was a success, and was happy with the outcome. “The first game we lost, but I actually played a lot,” she said. “I played part of the second quarter, part of the third and the whole fourth, so it went pretty well for me,” Richards said. Playing multiple positions, Richards has developed into a versatile player. “I play corner, wide receiver, and safety,” she said. “I’m equally comfortable in all of those.”

Above: Maggie Duppie ‘17 (far left) and Abby Green ‘16 (second from left) carry an eighr-person boat to the docks with teammates. Bottom left: An eight-person boat works on teamwork and launching from the floating docks. Bottom right: The girls top boat waits for the coxin’s commands to begin rowing as one unit.

Female freshman joins the huddleShelby Richards ‘19 explores new grounds on the football field, breaking streotypes as she steps out of gender roles

Shelby Richards ‘19 challenges gender divisions in sports as she takes on the freshmen football team.

Alex SternStaff Reporter

Fountain Point’s costly fleet of boats, pictured above, includes many eight-person boats, four-person boats, and single person skulls.

Aidan StiebelStaff Reporter

Photo: A. Stiebel

Graphic: H. Lancashire

Upcomming fall athletic events

Photo: A. Stiebel Photo: A. Stiebel

Photo: A. Stiebel

A&E 5Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 2015

Focus:AP Studio Art

Kristyn Moore ‘16

Name of Piece: WorshipingMaterials used: pencilTechniques: outliningInspiration of Piece: “I drew my photo that I took

in Guatemala on a mission trip because I really look up to the women in the picture and want to be able to show worship in drawing form. I can praise God with the talents I have. While I was there, I drew a lot. I just drew anything I saw that inspired me.”

Why did you choose this piece to be published? “This piece turned out very well. I think that it re-

ally captures worshiping and the beauty of it.”

Kenna Chilcott ‘16

Name of Piece: The Painted FaceMaterials used: watercolor paints, paintbrush, mi-

cron drawing pensTechniques: sketching in pencil, freehand drawing,

mixing and shading with watercolorsInspiration of Piece: “When I took Drawing and

Painting with Mrs. Harper, I had to do a self portrait in the style of another artist. I chose Alex Burdee because his work revolves around dark ink and watercolors. Ever since then I have done many pieces in that style, including this one.”

Why did you choose this piece to be published? “This piece is my most complete and I would feel comfortable with hanging it in a gallery.”

Colin Reece ‘16

Art: courtesy of C. Reece

F-Building complete redoWe covered the ins and outs of the new F-Build-ing updates as the redo begins to wrap up

Photo: E. Simon

Throughout the summer, construction workers have been renovating the new auditorium. This updated space will feature newer, nicer chairs, along with the addition of an orchestra pit and a costume room. “I’m thrilled about the renovation,” Sarah Strom ‘18 said. Strom has been involved in the musical program here at Central since she was in ninth grade. “We will have dressing rooms. We used to have to get ready in the practice rooms, which involved doing our makeup on the floor or in the bathroom. Now we have a space for that, an improved orchestra pit, and good lighting and seating.”

Musical OfficePublications

Having the F-building under construc-tion, the musical students have been working extremely hard to keep on track for their now winter musical. The renovation pushed back this year’s musi-cal into January, possibly early February, because the new auditorium will not be done in time. “We found out that the construction would run late at the end of August,” musical participant Ellie McPherson ‘16 said. “We knew that we would have to make it work and find ways around it.” Since then, the musical program has been finding alternative places to rehearse. Although the students are eager to see the new space and perform on the stage, they are having a difficult time adjusting to a regular routine. “We can’t get onto the actual stage until a month or two before the show,” Mcpherson said. “We’ve been practicing in the choir room, the orchestra room, or even at East Middle School,” McPher-son said. “It’s kind of difficult.” It is important they properly practice their positions and numbers, and the construction has been a major obstacle because students don’t have as much space as they can get on the regular stage. “We either have days where we sing the song for the show, work on how to dance, or where to stand for the line.” The musical students rehearsed during the summer twice every week to make sure they wouldn’t get too far off the schedule. They are also anticipating that the new auditorium will catch the pub-lic’s eye when it comes time to perform their musical. The students have been working very hard for the musical and are excited to show it off to everyone. “It’s going to bring a big increase in the attendance of our program,” Mcpherson said. “The changes in the musical audito-rium was well worth the wait.”

Along with the rest of the renovations, the publications room at Central has had a complete redo. The construction ran late, so for the first two weeks of school, the publication students had to work in alternative spaces. As the yearbook students are get-ting used to the new publications room, Yearbook People Editor Mickaela Macek ‘16 has some dislikes to the renovations. Macek is looking forward to the newly up-dated space, although with the renovation, the publication students were temporar-ily displaced. Yearbook Adviser Katelyn Stark’s primary room is in C-Building, and the yearbook staff was working there dur-ing the renovations. “It’s been a little cramped in there,” Macek said. “Spaces to work were limited.” The yearbook students moved into the pub during the third week of school. The new pub room has been remodeled and the students were ready to move back in. “It’s good to be back in the new pub,” Macek said. “Being a part of the old and new is a great feeling.” The renovation has been an intriguing thing at Central because change brings new opportunities. This doesn’t happen that often at Central, so when it does, it’s a big deal. Macek is pleased by the turnout of the F-Building renovations. Those who were affected by the renovations will have a greater space in the long-run and the overrun of the construction will be well worth it. “It’s exciting to see us get some attention down here,” Macek said. “It’s kind of like an upgrade.” Macek is hoping to make the best memories of yearbook in the new space this year, but they will also be her last. This new space is more than just a publications room to her. “This is the one part of high school that I hope I never forget years from now,” Macek said. “It is my home too.”

The 10th through 12th grade L-Z office has been moved to the front of F-Build-ing. Principal Bryan Burns and adminis-trative assistant Pat Bowen received an office makeover and now have a signifi-cantly more functionable space. Bowen expressed how much this new addition will really benefit the school. “This office has already affected the students because now I can see them when they walk by, so I can keep an eye on them,” Bowen said. “I think it will be better since students know that we are here.” However, Bowen admits that the reno-vation has generated a lot of difficulty for everyone affected by the move. Burns and Bowen have had to pack up and relo-cate more than a handful of times, but by keeping their eyes on the finished space, they managed to work their way through the pandemonium and stay organized. Overall, she knows that the upgrade was well worth it. “It definitely caused a lot of stress and chaos for everyone involved in the move,” Bowen said. “Mr. Burns and I both have files that we need to get to that have been packed away in boxes.” Aside from the moves, Bowen is very impressed with the new look and feel of her workspace. She feels that the refresh-ing atmosphere has been very exciting for her. “Everything about this office is different from my last one,” Bowen said. “There’s much more room, there’s a lot more glass which adds a nice touch to my work-space. I can see a lot more compared to my other office which was tucked in a corner, and now, we’re more accessible.” Overall, Bowen appreciates her new environment and will enjoy her day much more due to her brand new space. “I am so appreciative and happy with the changes,” Bowen said. “I plan on staying here until I retire.”

F-Building: the auditorium renovation by the dates

Start date of construction

Jun. 1, 2015

Sept. 8, 2015

Intended com-pletion date of publications room

Intended com-pletion date of F-Building office

Sept. 8, 2015

Dec. 1, 2015

Intended com-pletion date for auditorium

Intended completion date for entire renovation

Dec. 1, 2015

Name of Piece: Fly HighMaterials used: magazine pieces, glue, tie-dyeTechniques: mosaic-lookInspiration of Piece: “Kelsey Purchase and I

were in a youth group and became really close. Even though not everybody knew Kelsey, she still touched everyone. She will always be a part of me and she will always be in my heart.”

Why did you choose this piece to be published? “After I attended her funeral, I felt like there could

be a piece about her that could show another side of her to our community.”

Art: courtesy of K. Moore

Art: courtesy of K. Chilcott

All graphics: H. Lancashire

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 20156 Ads

A new regulation always promotes back-lash and skepticism from the commu-nity, however, there is hope the new law will be worth it and ensure a safe school environment for all staff and students. “I think the whole idea of govern-ment is that we give up some of our rights to the government in order to create a safer environment for us,” Bourdages said. “They’re not holding us down, forcing us, they’re just strongly recommending it, and I think it’s a good idea for sure.”

VaccinesContinued from pg. 1

Rather than dealing with the consequences of chil-dren unprepared to learn, we need policy and funding to assist educators and parents in ways that lead to healthy children able to keep up with their classmates, and therefore systemically eliminate the achievement gap. This approach raises a host of policy questions that require a level of competency, courage, and broad support from elected officials that has been unachievable to date. TCAPS is on the right track by adding preschool for four year-olds. Future changes will be incremen-tal, i.e., preschool for three year olds, and will not be possible without support from parents, teachers, and voters willing to pay a little more for a greater good. Until then, TCAPS may be best off by sticking to its vision and mission for its learning community and working on broader, better solutions to the achieve-ment gap via our representatives in Lansing and in Washington.

Comspec.Continued from pg. 8

bad, but absolutely essential to an evolving society. We live in a secular society in order to pro-tect our first amendment rights. This means we should not fear discrimination when we speak what is on our mind. As Americans, we have the right to express ourselves, especially through artwork. A business refusing to showcase a piece of art because it has the potential to raise ques-tions or concerns is, to us, cowardly. It shows an extreme obliviousness to the inevitability of controversy. We at the Black & Gold believe there shouldn’t be a line between what is acceptable

to express and what pushes the limit too far. As long as you’re not infringing on other people’s rights, you can push that line off the charts. As a society, we crossed that line long ago, so why stop now? Taking risks is what defines a good artist. The definition of art is expression of the times. Artwork that reflects the current trends or topics shows a sense of professionalism. It shows that the artist is evolving with the times and is not afraid to hit the controversial topics, regardless of potential questioning. When it comes to self expression or creation, infringing should be encouraged. Valuable art is supposed to invigorate people and make them think. Not displaying a certain piece is limiting how far the barriers can be pushed. We can’t shy away from topics that make us uncomfortable. Backing away from a problem won’t solve it.

ArtPrize Continued from pg. 2

Transition happens every year. Students move on to the next grade, eighth graders become freshman in high school and seniors graduate. Middle to High SchoolThis year, Hannah Pierce 19’ transitioned from East Middle School to Central High School, becoming a fresh-man. She attended East for three years, like many current freshman. “I enjoyed 8th grade the most out of middle school,” said Pierce. “It was fun seeing my friends all the time, and the teachers were good.” At Central, we have a bigger building and student body in comparison to East. “Before I came here, I thought it was a huge school. I was super worried about it,” Pierce said. “Now that I am here, I am not worried, and it’s not that big.” Compared to the middle school, our high school has more classes and extracur-ricular activities for students to choose from. “In middle school, I was in choir and I played volleyball,” Pierce said. “Here, I plan on doing Key Club, Model UN, the bowling team, and art club.” High School to College Seniors that graduated from high school are transitioning to college, like the eighth graders

transitioning to high school. Shaina Kalbfleisch, a freshman at Northwestern Michigan College, and former Central student, has more freedoms and responsibilities as a college student. “I like college a whole lot better than high school,” Kalbfleisch said. “I like choos-ing my school days. My work schedule goes around that.” Students at the high school are legally required to attend, but college is completely optional. “At college, people want to learn,” Kalbfleisch said. “I do not feel babysat.” Despite being more free, there is a lot more to be done in college. Kalbfleisch has a very busy schedule, with school and work. Adulthood comes with more opportuni-ties and responsibilities. “I work forty hours a week and attend school full time, so I do not have time for extra activities,” Kalbfleisch said. “I have around fifteen to twenty hours of homework a week,

but I enjoy it.” Though Kalbfleisch enjoys college, there are a few things that would improve the entire experience. “College would be better if my homework load was lightened and the cost of textbooks were cheaper.” said Kalbfleisch. Despite being very busy, Kalbfleisch is excited for her future. She will have more freedom and will do what she wants. “I am excited to start taking classes I want to take, not just the basics,” Kalbfleisch said. “I want to go into nursing.” Trimesters to SemestersBefore Central High School had semesters, the school year was split up into trimesters. Upperclassmen, like Claire Beutler ‘16, have experienced both during high school, while underclassmen have only expe-rienced semesters. “I enjoyed trimesters be-cause it allowed me to have an interesting schedule that changed throughout the year,” said Beutler. “I am fine with semesters, as all of my classes this year are full year classes like AP or choir, and would be the same in a trimester format.” There are many differences between trimesters and semes-ters, both have positive factors. “Advantages of semesters are that there are only two exams, plus my schedule stays the same,” Beutler said. “Trimesters allows us to have

only five classes per day, to not have the same classes all the time, and to get credits like gym out of the way quicker. It takes only a third of the year, not half.” Despite both trimesters and semesters having plus sides, there are also negative sides. “With semesters, it is harder to fit classes in because instead of having some classes for only one or two trimesters,” Beutler said. “You have classes for half or all of the year. It seems like it gives you less space and may require a zero hour to fulfill your credits.” The gaps in the year some-times made remembering and learning harder for students than it would if there were year long core classes. “The hardest thing about trimesters was having gaps in my schedule between years; if I took Spanish for the first two trimesters of freshman year and then didn’t have it third trimester or all summer, then I would take a huge step back and forget a lot by the time I started again sophomore year,” Beutler said. “Same thing with having math or chemistry first and third trimesters with a gap in between.” After spending time with semesters, Beutler’s reaction and views have changed. “I think they will stick with semesters because sched-ules are adjusted, graduation requirements are changed and everything seems to work fine,” Beutler said.

Jack MyersStaff Reporter

Focus 7Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 2015

Renovating CentralOut with the old, in with the new

Fresh facultyNew staff members share their goals for the year

Abby HarnishStaff Reporter

Nicole RogersStaff Reporter

“I am excited to be a staff member at CHS. Hope-fully I can bring some energy to our school. I want to grow the

music department and get aware-ness out about the orchestra. I would like to put it on the school map more than it is already. It has been a great program for a long time and Mrs. Boyer has built it up, but I’m excited to put or-chestra out into the community more.” -Amy Tenney, Orchestra Teacher

“These first weeks at Central re-ally have been great. I would like to help students out with all of their tech needs. For our school, I would like to bring a fresh start, tech-wise. This year is going to be full of learning on everyone’s part. I hope everything starts to calm down as there have been issues with the new filter. By next year, we will be ready, and it will be less crazy inside the tech office.” -Vir-ginia Driver, Tech Office

“My goal for the school year is to facil-itate learning opportunities and get stu-dents to not think about just the cur-

riculum, but understand why we are here and why we learn. I hope students learn a lot in my class and are able to achieve anything. I want to celebrate the students and cheer them on, whether it is sports, choir, band, etcetera. I hope to fully immerse myself in Central culture.” -Jeff Glikman, Social Studies Teacher

Transitions come in many formsMiddle school, high school, college, oh my!

Before the renovations to Central, the school was like a fully grown adult try-ing to fit into their childhood clothing. When Kristin Laing, Chemistry teach-er, went to school here, the school was nearly bursting at its seams. “There was not enough physical room to hold everybody,” Laing said. “They had trailers set up outside sort of by the bus ramps, just to hold more bodies.” Before TCAPS split into two high schools, they had two different start times. “The morning start time students would come to school and get to about third hour,” Laing said. “From what I can recall, most kids would leave at that time to take classes at the college. Then, all the later start time kids would be arriving.” Laing thinks the addition of another high school to the district was a fantas-tic decision, and she believes that our school is in good physical shape. “We are very lucky with the tech-nology support and library that we have,” Laing said. “We have a sweet setup compared to other schools in Michigan. We have great support for our athletics and great support for our academics.”

Trudging with hats, gloves, and big puffy coats from building to building, the blistering wind nipped the skin of high school students many years ago. Pamela Forton, a former Central High School student and now an Algebra 2 and AP Statistics teacher, is a fan of the newer renovations to the school’s campus. “Originally, this school was built based on a California model,” Forton said. “We don’t live in California, so you had to have your coat with you every-where you went. We needed to have renovations.” With the changes over the years, Forton believes that the newer layout meets the standards that students today require. “Overall, I think we are in good shape and have a great school,” Forton said. “But we do have things that are begin-ning to look old.” Similar to Forlenza, Forton likes the renovations, although she feels some updates are still needed. “The only thing that I wish was dif-ferent is if the main entrance was a little more noticeable so it was more friendly and welcoming,” Forton said. “It would be nice if there were more places in the school for students to congregate, other than the cafeteria.”

Back in 1997, Traverse City Senior High School became two separate schools. Since then, there have been many renova-tions and what we now know as Central High School, looks very different than what was here many years ago. Joe For-lenza, AP World History and AP Europe-an History teacher believes that the most recent remodeling of the school was critical and made drastic improvements, affecting both students and faculty. “In past years, nearly the entire school has been rebuilt, except the original gym,” Forlenza said. Forlenza believes that connecting the old college-looking campus to the enclosed high school campus was a good decision. “I don’t think we have anything here that a class-A high school shouldn’t have,” Forlenza said. “In fact, most of the high schools our size have a pool, maybe we should have things like that.” Although Forlenza believes that the changes made have been positive, he thinks the school should undergo a couple more upgrades but feels money could be an issue. “The pie is only so big,” Forlenza said. “Maybe the ISD needs to loosen up some of the money and give some more within the district to help with the operation costs.”

RED indicates buildings that used to be on campus. The X’s show what was built when the high school split.

Gra

phic

: H. L

anca

shire

Achievement Gap: The inherent gap in test scores be-tween the top and bottom percentage of students that can be explained by either race or socioeconomic status

Doug Luciani is the President and CEO of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Here, he gives his view on the achievement gap in our community, provid-ing some measures he believes may lessen the disparity

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold Oct. 14, 20158 IntroSpecThe Achievement Gap

Born and raised in Traverse City, I’ve grown to love the quirks that make our town unique. A thriving downtown, miles of sandy beaches, beautiful nature preserves, and much more. Yet there’s a major problem here: according to the 2014 US Census Bureau 94.9% of the population in Grand Traverse County is caucasian. Likewise, at Central High School 88% of students are caucasian. Nationwide 44% of students meet the ACT’s college readiness benchmark in math, whereas only 14% of African Americans meet this same criteria. These statistics are horrifying. The lower scores imply that there are large inequities in our ostensibly progressive society. At Central 38% of the student population meets the college readiness benchmark in math, and the composite ACT scores are in the 60th percentile. As a primarily caucasian school, CHS exem-plifies the nationwide achievement gap.Since the precedent set in Brown v. Board of Educa-tion, the Supreme Court determined that separate is certainly not equal. The achievement gap is a lasting effect of schools separated by race. De-segregation initiatives from the influential Supreme Court case provided temporary reprieve, but due to De Facto Segregation (separation that occurs natu-rally, without legal demand) many schools remain, essentially, divided. Inside Central this gap is not based solely on eth-nicity, but perhaps, more importantly on socioeco-nomic status. Because of this, Central is con-sidered a “focus school,” meaning the Michigan Department of Education will monitor us until we lessen the discrepancy between the top and bottom 30% of students. Both of these gaps—local and nationwide—showcase the same issue: because of dif-ficult social circumstances, students are unable to perform at their best. So what can we do about this problem at our own school, and how can begin to amend larger racial issues?Teachers (I’ve never been in your shoes, but here are a few humble ideas):For those of you who love your jobs, who get excited educating a bright future, go out of your comfort zone and ask to teach the most difficult classes. The ones where apathetic students don’t listen, or do their work, or do well on your tests—no matter how easy you make them. Teach these classes, get students to see the importance of education. Mold your students, inspire them, make them realize they can do great things. But mostly, just have faith in them. Don’t give up, so many others already have. It’s rarely laziness that causes low-performance levels, rather it’s difficult backgrounds that hinder students from reaching their full-potential. Students: For you over-achievers, sign up for a few classes that aren’t AP. Take the time to interact with students who you haven’t seen in your advanced courses. Get to know them, show them your intrinsic motivation, and broaden your own horizons. Your transcripts will survive, you’ll still get into that college you were hoping for, and you might just make a positive impact on another student’s life. When you graduate from Central, be thankful for the quality of education you have received. So many students would give anything to go to Central and we often take it for granted. Then go out into the world and expose yourself to cultures that differ from your own. You will become a more knowledgeable and kind person this way. Choose a college with diversity and become friends with people from different backgrounds. Bring these friends back to Traverse City, or go visit their homes. No matter what you do, be courageous, be tolerant, and be an ambassador of collaboration.

I’m a type-A, overachiever. Why? I spent the first nine years of my life in an incredibly challenging school. To graduate from first grade I had to be able to read modified Shakespeare and know multiplication tables through 12. I had a stay-at-home mom who put notes in my lunch box. My dad proudly stuck tests I aced onto the refrigerator. Across the road at the public school a 6th grade girl was being raped in the locker room. At that school test scores were astronomically low. Teach-ers hoped kids showed up to class, math was the least of their worries. For the most part, those student’s moms worked the hours mine studied with me and their dads weren’t home to hang things on the fridge. In 2009. my family moved to Traverse City and its public education system, which is pretty great by national standards, but our achievement

gap is still massive. There are two schools of thought

on the cause of the gap– that it’s caused by race or by socioeco-nomic status. The arguments aren’t necessarily different as

race is statistically correlated with socioeconomic status. The American

Psychological Association states an African American child is three times more likely to be impover-ished than a Caucasian child. Due to the strong correlation between high test scores and high socio-economic status, the wealthier you are, the more likely you’ll do well

in school. As terrible as it is, that makes sense. If you’re wealthy there

is a higher chance that your parents are able to help you with school themselves,

as they are more likely to be educated, or they can afford tutoring. Wealthy parents can buy

the Macbook that makes homework easier than a Netbook. On a basic level, education is more likely to be encouraged in a wealthy household. Kids that aren’t from wealthy families are left at a severe disad-vantage. Students develop scholastic habits at a very young age, so it is critical that students are closely monitored and supported from preschool through high school. A great way to do so would be to assign counselors a small group of students, they would then have one-on-one relationships with these kids from kindergarten to 12th grade. Students would have a mandated 30 minute meeting every week with the counselor. That personal relationship means that students have someone to connect them to the proper channels if they need help affording a tutor, buying school supplies, ensuring they get three meals a day or any other problem that affects their education. The counselor can then monitor students for any sign of trouble, give personal advice on schedules, encourage academic accomplishments, and tackle the achievement gap on an individual basis. There is no way to create blanket reforms to solve the problems of hundreds of students. Personal counselors could help each student without need for sweeping changes that would inevitably leave kids to fall through the cracks. Even the top percentage of students could benefit from this personal relationship. The problems with any solution are the cost, unforeseeable circumstantial issues and the bureaucratic maze that comes with reform. The achievement gap isn’t going away any time soon but we can work together as students to close the gap without any policy changes. To the top 30% of students, reach out to struggling peers or mentor an underclassman. To the bottom 30%, don’t be afraid to ask for help from administration or classmates, don’t try to do this alone. While it may be impossible to end the achieve-ment gap, as a school it is necessary to make an effort and try.

It is a tricky business when policy-makers and administrators address social issues. The gap in achievement in Traverse City Area Public Schools is no exception. TCAPS’ administration and Board have limited information, limited resources, and limited means of determining the efficacy of initiatives aimed at the gap. The stakes are high. If they opt for the wrong course of action, they have potentially lost a generation. This is a quandary at all levels of government where it is more politically expedient to address symptoms of failure than root causes. Regarding achievement gaps, the symptoms become apparent early on, but mostly by third grade when a certain level of reading proficiency is expected, and analysis of students’ likelihood of “success” can be predictive. While all is not lost at this point, much of the damage has been done since nearly 90 percent of brain development has already occurred. It would seem wise for TCAPS to work its way down in age from Kindergarten. TCAPS now offers preschool for four year olds. Even so, I would argue that educational institutions – and parents – are failing their children by not addressing factors that point to success much, much sooner, even to the point of prenatal care. Paula Cunningham, Co-Chair of the Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan, recently testified to the Michigan Board of Education and State Superintendent that, “Third-grade reading proficiency is unquestionably one of the best indicators of future success, both academically and eco-nomically. But… [preschool for four year-olds] isn’t the only action that needs to be taken to address [it]. In fact, what happens to children in their first 1,000 days—how parents and other caregivers protect them, read to them, encourage their minds and bodies to grow—sets the pattern for a lifetime. “We urge you to avail yourself of the recent report…entitled Policy Options to Support Children from Birth to Age Three. As this report states, an extensive research base demonstrates that early investment—in home visiting, child care, early pre-K, and medical homes—is far more effective than later remediation at improving outcomes for at-risk children.”

Comspec

The idea behind Introspec is to combine current events and opinion. Every issue we pick a topic, and Taylor and Abbie write about it from an inner per-spective as students - Introspec. Doug Luciani, writes on behalf of the community - Comspec. And finally we choose two countires and cover how they view and deal with the issue - Globspec.

Current EventsEach issue we test students knowlege on current events, represented by an ostrich bur-ried in varying degrees of sand

Political CandidatesBernie Sanders: Sanders wants to close the wealth gap, keep the wealthy from buying can-didates, update our transportation infrastructure, strengthen and expand social security, work toward further equality for women, people of color and the LGBTQ community, reduce the human impact climate change, and avoid war. To learn more about Bernie visit his site berniesanders.com.

Dr. Ben Carson: Carson wants to abolish Obamacare, make abortion illegal, protect the second amendment, balance the budget, over-turn Common Core education standards, keep Guantanamo Bay open, and maintain an offensive strategy in military conflicts. To learn more about Ben, visit his site www.bencarson.com.

Egypt BombingOn September 15th twenty-two tourists were en-joying a barbecue in a desert oasis when they were suddenly bombarded from above. The Egyptian government mistakenly believed the tourists were terrorist, and they carried out an aerial attack on the innocent group. Twelve died. The other ten were severely wounded. This tragic airstrike should have caused a major commotion in international news. In a poll conducted by the Black and Gold, none of the forty students surveyed knew about this Egyptian tragedy.

GlobspecWe chose China and Finland to show global variations and their different approaches to education

China

Finland

Education is a top priority for the People’s Repub-lic of China. Ever since the days of Confucius, the values of the merit system and of hard work have reigned strong throughout Chinese lands. Based on the results of the Program for International Stu-dent Assessment (PISA), China has one of the best education systems worldwide, especially the city of Shanghai. However, because China prioritizes test results, the test becomes paramount to the learn-ing process while life skills are left by the wayside. According to the 2013 Springer Achievement Gap study there is a large discrepancy with performance scores between those residing in rural areas and urban areas.

Education is also a top priority in Finland. However, teachers in Finland view each student holistically, and whenever a student is struggling they collaborate with other educators to devise a solution. To become a teacher in this country, one of the most widely valued professions, one must be at the top of their field. According to the National Education Association, Finnish students have performed the best out of any OECD nation on PISA. However, these numbers are unimport-ant to the Finish government. Instead, they strive to create an environment conducive to a quality education. The achievement gap is not an issue in Finland.

Abbie CrickIntroSpec Editor

Taylor WecksteinIntroSpec Editor

Egypt CandidatesStudents were complete-ly uninformed about the Egypt bombing. Body in the ground.

Students were relatively unaware about the political candi-dates-Head in the ground.

Abbie Crick & Taylor WecksteinIntroSpec Editors

Countries people thought bombed the tourists

Doug LucianiGuest Writer

See Comspec, Pg. 6