Nov. 20, 2012

LON GBOATVIKI

NG

11.20.2012 Haslett High School Volume 18 Issue 35450 Marsh Road Haslett MI 48840

RELIEF on page 3 ALTERNATIVES on page 3 BRIGHT FUTURE on page 7

A calm, well-spoken and alert 43-year-old stay-at-home dad. A graduate from St. Johns High School and Michigan State University with a degree in geology. He has no prior felonies or misdemeanors in Michigan, but that may change

now. He is facing 60 serious felonies and is denied bail.

The crimes Raulie Casteel is being charged with may not fit his given characteristics, but the Michigan police are fairly certain the man they have in custody is the man who shot at 24 cars between Oct. 17 to 29.

by Alexa Walkowicz

His last season ended with frustration and disappoint-ment. A move he had used several times before was suddenly whistled illegal and a disqualification from the state tournament was doled out from the Michigan High School Athletic Association preventing him from pursu-ing his life goal. This year, however, begins with hope and excitement as senior wrestler Taylor Grenawalt has

by Patrick Gifford

Wreslter commits to Brown

Bright Future

Relief on I-96

Confidence on commuteby Zach Hebel

Alternative Options

Seniors look to the future

There are many options available to seniors after high school. College, in-state or out of state, military scholarships or enlistment. Most seniors have chosen to go to college in-state. Some of seniors, however, have chosen to take the road

less traveled and decided on alternatives to in-state college.

Senior Thomas Grubb has applied to only two schools: Michigan State and the Uni-versity of Alabama. He is not planning to apply to any others and said, “I’m pretty sure I’m just going to call it.”

Senior Taylor Grenawalt with his

parents Michael and Rebecca Grenawalt

in the cafeteria on the day he signed his letter

of intent to wrestle at Brown University.

Photo by Sierra Dove

2 November 20, 2012OPINION

I held the pen in my hand. It was secured to the table by a string so as to retain its position. Glancing upward from my seat, I noticed the others in the room. My dad, halfway across the room, deep in thought. An older man to the left of me. And to my right, a young female, also voting for her first time. I smiled, thinking that only a month and a day before this moment, I had become a legal adult. Now I sat there, ballot in front of me, “Barack Obama” and “Mitt Romney” staring back at me, my hand able to swipe the pen to dictate which man I wanted to be President of the United States, and count.

Indeed, I voted in this year’s presidential election. Millions of people across the nation did the exact same thing that day. To many, it was an old routine. Four years after four years after four more years. Same old, same old. To others, it was an enthralling new experience. The overwhelming majority of college-aged voters were first-timers.

To a few, however, it was a spectacular, insightful glimpse into the entirely real world of politics and American history from their high school-infested lives. Once they left the poll, they returned to their homework, boyfriends/girlfriends and college applications. But, for a brief moment in time, they got to set aside these tasks and contribute to something on a much grander scale.

At first, it didn’t feel real. There were bursts of excitement and anticipation, and as I scribbled marks on the ballot, I felt an exag-gerated sense of power seep into my bloodstream. I wanted to stand on the table and shout to the sky out of nothing more than youthful drive.

Returning home, however, I didn’t sense much change. My life was back to flustering myself through calculus homework and eat-ing Jet’s pizza. I had nearly expected to be instantaneously altered, to feel like a brand new man, ready to take on the world, sword held high.

The change came, though, but more gradually. I came to realize that I had been part of a voice much larger than myself, one that existed in all 50 United States and contained approximately 130 million people, easily the most colossal collection of people I’ve ever been incorporated with. This fact sunk in on me. It made me feel tiny, but it also brought me a sense of accomplishment. I felt important.

To think that I had an impact on the next president, the one who could start wars, make history-defining decisions, and lead the country out of failure or very likewise into it, no longer made me feel like a barred opinion. My voice was no longer restricted by

pesky age limitations. I was also reminded of the great freedoms we have in our country, that I was able to participate in the election fresh out of youthhood.

It was fairly intimidating, being the youngest in the room at voting time. In a way, it felt like cheating. It didn’t seem like I was supposed to be there. It was as if I was getting a sneak-peek of a test to come. I felt like a baby who had learned to walk before it had even exited the mother’s womb.

Nevertheless, I was perfectly eligible. I was even encouraged by many. Friends and family jumped with joy to hear that I could vote, in part because of the addi-tional vote to their par-ty obsession. But also out of pure, genuine excitement for me. It was comforting to know that I was viewed not as a naive, waste-life-away teenager, but as a com-petent Ameri-can citizen.

T h e w o m a n w h o checked me in seemed more ec-static about my presence in the poll than I was. And the woman who scanned my ID proceeded to explain how she had been dying for her niece to name her son Reid, which never happened.

A sense of American hospitality was in the air, and I knew I was right where I was supposed to be at that moment.

Staff editorial: Peer to Peer something to boast about

From the unexplored mind of a first-time voterEmotions and experiences of the 2012 presidential election

by Reid Fowler

For a stranger to the halls of Haslett High School, there is something different in the air, something that wouldn’t be sensed in most other schools. Students with shirts reading “Haslett Peer to Peer;” kids called LINKS guiding other students to their next class-room; in the morning, the an-ticipated and ever-loved voice over the announcements, em-phatically bellowing “Good morning Haslett High... this is your morning news.”

The Peer to Peer program we know now at Haslett has been a long time in the mak-ing. From the days of middle school lunch meetings with about 10 kids, the program

has escalated into the Viking Room-packing, Anthony Ianni-featuring, role-modeling orga-nization it is today. And it’s changing the school for the better.

Peer to Peer has divided and conquered, and is conquering yet. While meetings may ap-pear to just be watching videos and eating pizza, there is much more going on. Seeds of kind-ness and understanding are being planted in the minds of students. These students learn about the minds of their autis-tic peers as well as how to treat them with compassion. They venture into the halls and love on the special education stu-dents, those who may be over-

looked or even tormented in other schools. And other peo-ple see these interactions. The seeds germinate as appropriate behavior and humane treat-ment toward these students and spreads throughout the rest of the student body.

An unkind word about the autistic students is a rare oc-currence within and around the walls of Haslett High, and is generally frowned upon by the public majority. For one student teasing another, a hun-dred others have the victim’s back. This is not true for most other schools, where people can be downright brutal to those who act differently. We thankfully find quite the oppo-

site here at Haslett High. It’s no wonder other school

districts in the area are using Haslett’s LINKS program as a healthy model for what any stu-dent aid program should look like, with eight students partici-pating the first year and 31 the next, the program displayed unprecedented growth.

People truly care at Haslett, and this is what is bringing in the wave of special education students to the school with a magnetic pull. And the kids with enough heart to sacrifice an hour of their schedules to tend to a student with autism are the magnets.

Of course, even the slightest amount of bullying is inevitable

in any school. Our school is not perfect. But Haslett has proven to provide a haven for students once unaccepted and unloved by their peers, in much worse environments.

Elsewhere, those students would have had no chance of thriving and making friends, but are now attending classes without problems, developing to their full mental capacities, and forming friendships with the “cool” kids. Hope from hopeless situations has been born at this school. Miracle stories have undoubtedly been created.

From here, the Haslett stu-dent body needs to continue on the path it is headed down.

The ball needs to keep rolling, and from the looks of it, that exact thing is happening. Love must continue to be dispersed. Knowledge must continue to be attained. Iron fists must be brought upon the bullies and foul-hearted.

If Haslett can achieve these things, our special education program will go where no oth-er program has gone before.

The Peer to Peer organiza-tion is in the wake of something momentous. The shuttle has just launched, and it is about to reach the stars.

It is this that makes Haslett stick out from the rubble.

The Viking LongboatEditor-in-ChiefErik FrobomFeaturesQuinn AlexanderNewsNick LemmerOpinionsReid FowlerSportsPatrick GiffordPhotographySierra DoveNick GregoryDesign EditorsZach HebelAmy BaumgartnerAdvisersJulie PriceJayna Salk

StaffCory BerryMadison BradyJonah BrownBridget FarhatMichael Garnett Katelyn HarrisSunny HavensStephanie HilkerMarcus HooperCaitlyn LaidlerHanna LeeSamantha LeifkerBreanna McGuireJordon WallingAlexa Walkowicz

The Viking Longboat is a month-ly publication of Haslett High School, 5450 Marsh Road, Haslett, MI 48840. It is pub-lished by the fifth hour News-paper Production class and Journalism class. The Longboat has been established as a stu-dent run public forum circulated within the school and to subscrib-ers in the community and outside the school district. Letters to the editor are accepted at the discre-tion of the editorial board. Forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment will not be pub-lished. Letters must be signed by the author and may be edited for grammar, spelling and style. Di-rect all questions to the Publica-tions Room, Room 411.

3November, 20, 2012 NEWS

The Meridian Township Po-lice Department will begin do-ing sporadic drug searches dur-ing school. The searching will be done by trained dogs who can detect drugs and alcohol.

The school has decided these searches will “keep our school as safe and secure as

possible,” principal Bart We-genke said.

The entire school will be searched including lockers, bathrooms and the parking lot.

Senior Maher Al-Sheikh be-lieves the searches will benefit the school. “So many people would be busted. It would be good,” Al-Sheikh said.

Senior Echo Meike-Durso was unaware that searches would be taking place. “Peo-ple who bring drugs to school are stupid,” Meike-Durso said.

Consequences for those caught could be as severe as a $100 fine, substance abuse ser-vices and rehabilitation for first time offenders.

Drug searches coming to the school by Amy Baumgartner

Alternatives Seniors are Taking

He wants to go to the University of Ala-bama and study physics, with possibly a sec-ond degree in economics.

He applied to the school on Oct. 5, but hasn’t received a letter back from it yet. “I’m probably just going to tell my parents that that’s where I’m going,” Grubb said.

Going to the University of Alabama means that, because of his National Merit award, a majority of his bachelor’s degree would be paid for. After receiving his bache-lor’s degree, he plans to pay for his graduate work at a better school, perhaps at Califor-nia Tech or MSU.

Grubb has met some opposition to his at-tending U of A. “My mom really wants me to stay close to home,” Grubb said. Howev-er, “she’s been accepting it more and more,” he said.

Grubb has decided to attend U of A in-stead of another, maybe more prestigious school for several reasons. He said some of the deciding factors for him were the financial aspects and the bigger school at-mosphere of U of A. After school, Grubb hopes to get a job doing research.

Senior Mitchell Arnold has also chosen to go to college. To pay for it, however, he has chosen to apply to the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship. This is a naval scholarship. In return for four to five years of service in the Navy, Arnold gets a full ride scholarship for college.

While looking for scholarships, Arnold was attracted by the NROTC scholarship because it pays for all his schooling and be-cause of his father’s military past. His dad has been in the Navy and participated in the Gulf War. He has also been in the National Guard and is currently in the Coast Guard, serving in Virginia.

Arnold plans to go into construction management, which he

has been preparing for at the Capital Area Career Center. He has been looking at different schools, one being Ferris State. But since becoming a Christian last year, has been looking more at chris-tian schools. “It’s changed my outlook,” Arnold said. A christian school would “help me be an example for God.”

During school, in addition to his regular classes, Arnold will take certain classes to prepare for the Navy. After school, he will enlist in the Navy and instantly be promoted to a naval officer. This allows him to have a management position in construction. If he had just enlisted instead of going through the scholarship program, he would have been doing the groundwork as a private. After the Navy, “it’s whatever God wants me to do,” Arnold said.

Instead of choosing to go to college, senior Austin Lindsey plans to enlist in the military right out of high school. He will be enlisting in the Navy as an aircrewman and a rescue swimmer.

As an aircrewman, Lindsey would ride in a helicopter and make sure all the technology is working correctly. As a rescue swimmer, he would still ride in the helicopter, he would just “be jumping out of it instead,” Lindsey said.

Lindsey decided to enlist, in part because his father was in the Navy. His family has had six generations of military men, and “I thought, hey, tradition is cool,” Lindsey said. Also, “the military is a really smart choice for anyone getting out of high school.”

He is very excited, and “I would leave right now,” Lindsey said. After graduating, Lind-sey has a month off, then he starts training. He will go to boot camp and then to avia-tion school in Pensacola, Fla. There are three schools there that he will attend.

Lindsey will then go to a SERE, or Survival,Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, school in California. “Basically what they do is capture you and torture you,” Lindsey said. “It’s like in GI Jane when she’s in the wooden box, except less dramatized.”

Depending on his grades, Lindsey could be deployed any-where after completing his schooling. “I’m going to be all over the world,” Lindsey said.

While in the Navy, Lindsey plans to save his money and invest it, so that when he gets out of the military, he will be able to go on a backpacking trip around the world. He plans to go to Australia first and then maybe the Netherlands, and after that, Europe.

Lindsey could see himself having a job after his trip and does see himself having a family, perhaps meeting someone in the mili-tary or on his travels. “Either way, I feel like it’s going to happen at some point,” Lindsey said.

by Alexa

Students consider non-college options for next chapter of their livesfrom page 1

Relief Coined “The I-96 Corridor Shooter,” the

reward for the information leading to the discovery of the suspect reached $102,000 prior to Casteel’s arrest. The story had been picked up by major national news outlets, such as USA Today, Huffington Post and CBC News.

The highway’s proximity to the high school caused a considerable amount of talk among students and staff, especially those who drive and/or have to traverse the stretch of highway.

English teacher Stephanie Livingston was initially worried about the commute between work and her home in Howell. “I did not love it,” she said. “I was especially alarmed after the Saturday a man was injured, because I had just followed that stretch of road a couple of hours before that injury happened and I had my 5-month-old son in the car. So, the following days in the afternoon, I took Grand River home.”

Rebecca Kipp, who also makes the commute every day, opted not to change her driving habits. “Maybe I’m a little more aware while I’m driving, to look out for suspicious behaviors,” Kipp said. “But my biggest thing is you can’t stop living because of fear of something, and so I still have to drive. I did consider taking an alternate route.”

She mentioned that she drives on the main

part of the highway, and not near the portions where most of the shootings occurred.

The suspect in custody is widely believed by law enforcement to be the shooter. The certainty of the police and media that Casteel is guilty has brought feelings of relief to many who travel the roads. “It was alarming to me that someone had been shooting randomly at cars, but it was even more sort of alarming the sort of frequency and randomness it appeared to be happening,” Livingston said. “It seemed like, ‘When was it going to stop? And was it multiple people?’ There were too many unanswered questions. I was relieved when they seemed to have caught the person who did it.”

The story behind why he was seemingly shooting at random cars may become more apparent in coming months, but right now professionals suspect undiagnosed mental disorders. The suspicions are backed up when going through Casteel’s Twitter feed that he may be suffering from paranoia. The Tweets consist of anti-government statements, Tweets about “the planes watching him from overhead” and many, many cryptic anti-Obama messages.

“It makes me a little more relieved that he’s hopefully going to get the help he needs, and he’s not out there able to hurt random people,” Kipp said. “I don’t know what his intent was... but hopefully he gets all the help he needs.”

from page 1

She ran out of class with a red face from laugh-ing and a bladder about to burst. As she ran to the ladies room her only thought was not to wet her pants. She reaches for the door, tries to turn the handle and finds it’s locked. Now what?

The last few weeks at random times, the main bathroom doors have been locked. Apparently for no reason.

The staff who have keys to the bathrooms have not been aware of the situation.

“They shouldn’t be locked,” principal Bart Wegenke said. “Someone probably forgot (to unlock them).”

Both Wegenke and head custodian Steven Ki-oski were puzzled and had not heard about this before.

“Which ones?” Kioski said. “If the doors hap-pen to be locked let someone know. (If they’re locked) come tell me or Jerry.”

Students have become increasingly annoyed by this unpredictable change of routine. “It’s in-convenient, those are the cleanest bathrooms. If they’re locked I go try to find a janitor or give up,” senior Bianca Nieto said.

Lately, students have been asking why the choir bathroom doors are locked all the time.

“Not enough security,” associate principal An-drea Rumsey said.

After talking to multiple students and a few teachers, it is well known among the school why these bathrooms are locked. In the past there has been inappropriate behaviors in the choir bathrooms. The best solution is to keep these doors locked.

by Hannah Lee

Locked batherooms annoyby Zach Hebel

w

5LIFEBOATNovember 20, 20124 November 20, 2012

Senior Drew Choma walks into class, followed by his LINK. He sits down at his desk and doesn’t leave until the bell rings.

“During freshmen year, he would sit in class for about 10 to 15 minutes,” senior Hannah Greenberg said. “Now he is sitting through the whole class periods, which is a really big step for him.”

Greenberg is one of Cho-ma’s seven LINKs who help him in his classes and help him achieve his goals through-out the year.

“Each year he has an IEP (Individual Education Plan),” Greenberg said. “Some are long-term goals, which are for all four years. And some are short-term goals that we hope to accomplish by the end of the year.”

Currently, the biggest long-term goal for Choma is to get him ready for life beyond high school, like getting a job and being able to be in a working environment.

“Right now, his fifth hour is a job skills class where he goes and cleans up the cafeteria,” Greenberg said. “He enjoys cleaning.”

Depending on what the goal is, it can be easy or difficult for Choma to achieve. This year they are working on a small, menial goal. “One of our goals right now is for him to hold the door open for people,” Greenberg said. “just so that if he goes for a job interview he knows to hold the door open.”

Every now and then, Cho-ma’s LINKS remind him to hold the door open. But he learns best by example. “His LINKS will show how he is supposed to act and he cop-

ies a lot,” Greenberg said. “It helps to have kids his age in a classroom rather than adults. He is more likely to mimic them.”

The LINKs also record Choma’s progress on an ap-plication on their iPad. “It records certain things he does and commonly used words,” Greenberg said. “We keep track through that.”

Overall, the biggest triumph for Choma over the past four years has benefited both him and his family. “Drew is able to go to church with his fam-ily,” Greenberg said. “They couldn’t go as a whole family before.”

Just like every other senior, Choma is looking forward to getting his diploma as well. “He is excited to graduate this year,” Greenberg said.

You sit down in your first hour, a full day ahead of you.

Your ears instantly perk up as the morning announcements come on and you hear an ener-getic voice say “good morning, this is your morning news.”

Junior Liam Hill is the voice behind the introduction to the announcements and walks in with complete confidence. “I am really confident because I enjoy doing the morning an-nouncements,” Hill, who is on the autism spectrum, said.

Hill took on the job of an-nouncing by asking principal Bart Wegenke. “I really wanted

to see what the school is up to and I wanted to see what be-coming a morning announcer was like,” Hill said.

Hill also hopes to be on next year’s announcements. “It would definitely be a good honor.”

However, after high school, Hill doesn’t plan on pursuing a career in being an announcer, but in music. “I want to work in a music store,” he said.

As Hill walks into the office, he is filled with excitement. “I love to do the announcements and I enjoy working with (se-nior) Taylor Braatz.”

Haslett High School has a leading program in LINKS. The program was adopted January of 2011 to benefit students with autism.

Two years may sound like a short time, but the program itself is not much older. Other schools have not been as quick to ac-commodate a LINKS program, and those that have number few. Haslett models its LINKS pro-gram after that of Grand Ledge High School. East Lansing High School has begun to implement LINKS practice.

In considering LINKS, “Haslett found a need, a value,” said Lisa Basore, the supervi-sor of Haslett’s LINKS pro-gram. Through peer interaction, LINKS encourages students with autism to interact with the same everyday environments that oth-

er students face. According to Basore, it was

found through research to be a “best practice” for students with autism, a buzzword that applies in this instance to a superior de-velopmental technique.

The school’s eagerness to adopt the new program is exem-plary, as shown by the number of students involved. East Lan-sing’s program serves only one student. Haslett’s serves five, four of them all-day students, and its mentor roster lists the names of 31 student volunteers.

These volunteers spend time relating with their autistic peers, exchanging experiences that simply cannot occur within the confines of a designated special education classroom. Besore said the initiative is “to estab-lish friends and, hopefully, close connections – that is the ultimate goal.”

There is evidence of these goals being reached. “I can’t speak highly enough of the pro-gram. It’s doing everything the research says it is supposed to do,” Pat Miller, a Haslett parent, said. Miller’s daughter, Katie, has been benefitting from Has-lett’s LINKS program since No-vember of 2011.

Miller was disheartened with the lack of effort and understand-ing that the administration at Katie’s previous school showed. She turned to the Statewide Au-tism Research and Training pro-gram (START) at Grand Valley State University, an organization devoted to finding practices suitable for the development of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. There, mention of Haslett’s LINKS program came her way. “They spoke highly of it,” she said.

Katie had previously not been

a part of many experiences that her peers took for granted. This year’s homecoming parade and dance were attended by many as repeat events, but for Katie these were firsts. LINKS provides not only attention, but interaction.

“This is the first time in her life that she has been invited to do things outside of class; out-side of school,” Miller said of her daughter. She said the stu-dents in Haslett’s community are especially accepting and that she is “really impressed with Mrs. Basore.”

Amy Matthews has been on the faculty of the psychology de-partment at Grand Valley State University since 1998. She now directs the START program, working with educators around the state on training and aware-ness.

Matthews said the the pro-gram has a positive effect on the

students who serve as LINKS to students with autism. According to her, at-risk students made im-provements in their attendance in behavior after dedicating themselves volunteering. “It’s a win-win,” she said.

Programs like these bridge a gap that had been previously un-spanned. According to Basore, no similar program preceded LINKS at Haslett.

The installation of the pro-gram represents a shift in how schools are dealing with autistic students. Adult support is being phased out with peer support.

“You learn an awful lot from your peers, about socialization, behavior,” Matthews said. If the same development is to be made by students with autism, autistic students must have genuine peers of their own.

This is very possible, accord-ing to Matthews. “Once they

understand autism, we find that students just jump right in,” she said.

The research that drives LINKS shows that students with autism are able to make more progress when they have op-portunities to relate with other people who share their ages and interests.

For Katie Miller, this seems to be the case. Her mother has no-ticed a “blossoming in her com-munication” in the year that Ka-tie has been in Haslett’s LINKS program.

“What 18 year-old wants to as-sociate with adults?” Basore said. The statement resonates with truth. Clearly those who support the LINKS program stand by its logic.

LIFEBOATstudents’ lives. students’ stories

Being a LINK has been a great experience for myself to meet new people and to help students with their work. I love being able to work with students who need my help, whether the situation is easy or hard.

I began working as a LINK second semester of last year. I was learning the basics of what it means to a LINK, and what we are supposed to do in a certain situations.

Junior Theresa Whaley was my helper for learning what is needed to be a LINK. We were both working with junior Liam Hill in his U.S. History class.

LINKS are able to help their students with learning social skills while in a class. These skills will be able to help the student in the future.

When finals come around, we go on social outings like going

to the movies, hanging out at the zoo or hanging out somewhere where the student is able to inter-act with other people their ages.

This year, I am working with Sophomore Katie Miller in her life skills class. We are working on how we should act during and after school. During this class, Katie and I have been learning how it is for people liv-ing with a disability and their challenges.

The whole class went on a field trip to Peckham to hear the story of Kyle Maynard and his challenges as he was born with congential amputation.

On Wednesdays, the class goes around the school to collect bottle recycling, to learn how to work as a team or a group.

The students are learning the life skills of what it may be like in future careers and to learn what it is like to be interviewed for a job.

Champion Choma

by Quinn Alexander

Life as a LINK“Listen up”by Sunny Havens by Quinn Alexander

by Erik Frobom

Leading with LINKS

photo by Mark KeckLiam Hill and senior Taylor Braatz start a schhol day with the morning announcements

School blazes trails with autism program

Senior Drew Choma sits himself on a bench before exercsing in the pool.

photo by Sierra Dove

Liam wakes up the school with the morning news

Drew displays progress, accomplishmentStaff writer describes experience

6 November 20, 2012SPORTS

The hiring processOne theme of high school

sports is change. After every season, seniors graduate and a new class of varsity athletes emerge.

For three teams this year the athletes aren’t the only thing changing. The competitive cheer team, the lacrosse team and the wrestling team are all transitioning to new coaches.

After a run to the regional semifinals last season, coach Brandon Schwinn was hired to coach for the Michigan State University men's club lacrosse team. The man taking his spot is father of junior lacrosse cap-tain Noah Taylor.

Brent Taylor is not just coaching for two years until his son graduates, though.

“It was a definite concern of mine, but we talked and he told me that he will keep coaching after Noah graduates,” athletic director Darin Ferguson said.

After a good year last year,

players are hopeful for the up-coming season.

“He’s a lot more relaxed so it should really help with team chemistry,” junior Tyler Me-high said.

Chemistry could be what the team needs after the team last year received complaints from nearby houses the coach was being too obscene and vulgar during practices.

”By the end of the season last year there was no chem-istry anymore,” Noah Taylor said.

Despite the fact they are go-ing through a coaching change, wrestlers who are part of the team don’t sound too worried.

“He’s awesome, he’s really good at getting through to the younger guys and the older guys as well,” senior wrestler Taylor Grenwalt said.

The he that Grenwalt is speaking of is new coach Alan O’Donnell.

Coach O’Donnell could be

just what the program needs, “I think he will breathe life

into the program,” added Tay-lor Grenwalt.

O’Donnell is filling a posi-tion left open by last year’s coach, former teacher Sam bird. He retired from teaching and the retirement of coaching came with it.

“He (Bird) coached me my whole career, but in this case, I think change is good,” senior Bruce Geisen said.

For any new coaching posi-tion that opens, Ferguson posts a bulletin internally to teachers and staff to see if there are any staff members who potentially want to coach.

“When a coach is also a teacher, they get to see the student athletes in school on a daily basis and get to know what they are like out of their sport,” Ferguson said.

“Coaches who are teach-ers are preferred, but it comes down to who’s more qualified.”

Despite both the lacrosse and wrestling teams having suc-cessful seasons last year, there wasn’t a rush of coaches search-ing for either position.

In the case of the wrestling team, it took some effort to find a new coach.

“I initially informed the ath-letic directors within the CAAC (Capitol Area Athletics Confer-ence) and got nothing back. Then I informed all the athletic directors in the state to try to find a coach,” Ferguson said.

It wasn’t until Ferguson asked a source at Michigan State that he found Coach O’Donnell.

The position for the La-crosse was not quite as diffi-cult. Ferguson didn’t have to mediate any fights between any coaches trying to get hired at Haslett, but did already have a coach in mind when Schwinn left. Brent Taylor was the assis-tant coach for the junior varsity team last year.

Intense Icers

Juniors and Erik Brown and Alex Rowe have been playing hockey most of their lives.

Brown is the defender on the Lansing Capitals U-18 traveling team. His team travels to Cali-fornia, Minnesota, Chicago, Ohio, Indiana, and Texas.

On Nov. 9, Brown’s team went to Chicago to face the California Titans. He expected it to be “a good trip with the boys.”

Practicing three times a week at Suburban Ice, and traveling frequently makes completing homework a challenge.

Players have to get assign-ments in advance, and com-plete them on the bus or air-plane. “It gets tiring,” he said.

Although it creates a busy schedule, being part of the

Capitals is “more competitive” than high school hockey as college and even professional coaches attend games to scout players.

Junior Alex Rowe, center for the Capitals U-16 team, loves hockey because of “how fast moving it is.”

He also enjoys “how creative you can be on the ice.” Rowe was watched at Chicago on Nov. 9 by Texas junior league teams. Rowe said the week-end’s game would be “a big showcase”.

Both Rowe and Brown hope to continue their hockey ca-reers. Brown’s “dream” is to play for Michigan State Univer-sity. Rowe would like to play for Ferris State and even the National Hockey League down the road.

Newfound leadersCoaches bring forth fresh expectations

Wrestling coach Alan O’Donnell and lacrosse coach Brent Taylor were hired this current school year and these two coaches have many hopes and goals for their players in the upcoming seasons.

After winning all-league and all-district in both high school wrestling and football, O’Donnell knew he would be involved with athletics. “My coach inspired me because he had many ideas and styles of coaching,” O’Donnell said. “That helped me keep moti-vated and strive for my goals.”

O’Donnell attended Lake-wood High School, and went on to attend Michigan State University. Along with ma-joring in human biology, O’Donnell wrestled all four years of college, earning a spot in the starting line-up. “Wrestling in college helped with building many life skills, and also with observing many coaching styles,” he said. Af-ter graduating from Michigan State, O’Donnell started coach-ing wrestling at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky, and also

at Michigan state. O’Donnell does, however,

lack experience when it comes to coaching high school kids. “From coaching college kids mainly, the first year may be challenging,” he said. “But the team should still have a good season. The coaching styles I have should still remain the same from season to season though.”

Wrestling at the high school has always had a problem with low participation. The low numbers leads to the problem of filling the whole line up. “My first priority with being a coach, is filling the line up,” O’Donnell said. “Whether or not a student has no experi-ence in wrestling.

”After focusing on this, O’Donnell is planning on helping individuals with their short-term and long-term goals. “Wrestling is a fun sport and it helps kids with their high school lives outside of school as well,” he said.

Coming from coaching Haslett youth level and junior varsity lacrosse for a few years, Brent Taylor feels honored to take on the varsity assignment.

“Knowing the players be-fore the season on and off the field, helps build a team stronger,” Taylor said.

Growing up in East Lansing, and attending Michigan State University, Taylor did not have the op-portunity to play lacrosse. “In the 80s lacrosse was not offered at the high school level nor the collegiate,” he said. “I hope coaching will fulfill my ambitions of once being a lacrosse player.”

Taylor believes every team must have goals to strive for. “I think winning is a choice. Not one to be made at the game or prac-tice, but now,” he said.

The lacrosse season is still months away, but the coaches and players aren’t acting like it. “They attend pre-season sessions, they hit the weight room, run hills, and do whatever it takes to become a better lacrosse player and team,” Taylor said.

Last year, the lacrosse team had a strong season, ending the year in the regional semi-finals. After having such success last year, Taylor has high hopes

for what he wants to achieve.. “My first priority is obtaining a top ten rank in the state and making it a regional finals appearance in the playoffs,” he said. Both of these goals

set out by Taylor, have never been reached at Haslett. “We also want to be recognized as a team that does it the right way, with a good attitude and a healthy respect for every-

one we react with on and off the field,” he said. “Something that my team will remember is something very simple, com-pete hard, never quit, and do whatever it takes to win.”

First year wrestling coach Alan O’Donnell is set to lead his team to a strong season.Photo by Breanna McGuire

Two juniors dedicate time, energy to travel hockey teams

by Stephanie Hilker

by Marc Hooper

by Jonah Brown

Feguson confident new coaches will be good for programs

7Spor t sNovember 20, 2012

Makenna OttSport: Volleyball. Grade: 10. Age: 15. Recent accomplishments: 17 kills against Lansing Catholic Central for district championship and 18 kills in re-gional championship victory over Chelsea. Favorite part of volleyball: The excitement and adrenaline rush of games. Best thing about team: We had great team chemistry and worked hard for each other. Pre-game ritual: Listen to hip hop before every game.

ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

committed to wrestle next year at Brown University.

Even with his future plans set, Grenawalt remains hungry as he heads into his final year of high school wrestling.

“I really want to end my high school career with a state title,” senior Taylor Grenawalt said. “It has been a major goal of mine ever since I was a little kid.”

And Grenawalt has used the controversy of his junior season as fuel to motivate him for a strong senior year.

“What happened last year has definitely been the biggest driving force for me this year,” he said.

Grenawalt’s disqualification last year not only prevented him from competing in indi-vidual districts, it also dropped him in the national rankings (he is currently ranked number 23 in his weight class by Wres-tling USA Magazine).

“All of the awful effects that came out of what happened last year have only fueled his fire even more,” senior team-

mate Bruce Giesen said. But what the events of last

season could take away from Grenawalt in terms of eligibili-ty, could not mask his immense talent.

As Grenawalt narrowed down his recruiting process, two schools seemed to emerge: Brown University and Colum-bia University.

He took an official visit to both schools, stayed in their dorms and talked to both wres-tling coaches on a weekly basis. Grenawalt eventually discov-ered that he favored the way his academic career would play out at Brown University.

“They have an open cur-riculum, so I won’t have to take classes that I don’t want to take or classes I am not interested in,” he said.

When considering the sev-eral colleges that Grenawalt was looking at, he was sure to consider their academic reputa-tions more so than their wres-tling programs.

“I’ve always put academics first, so to be able to wrestle at a Division I level and go to an Ivy League school is the best of

both worlds,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.”

Planning on double ma-joring in Psychiatry and International Studies, Gre-nawalt knows that balancing academics and athletics will not be easy.

It’s no doubt going to be tough,” he said. “But I know I will enjoy going to class and figure out new ways to learn more effectively.”

As a student athlete, the majority of Grenawalt’s day will be very busy. “I will be spending a lot of my days on the mat and in the class-room, but that’s something I am ready and excited for,” he said.

Just as Grenawalt has a set of goals for his final season of high school wrestling, he has much he intends on accom-plishing with his time at Brown University.

First off, he hopes to make an immediate impact on the team as a freshman. There are around 30 wrestlers on the team and the best wrestler at each weight class earns a start-ing spot.

Grenawalt plans on wrestling at 140 pounds in college, and is optimistic about his chances of starting.

“There will be a pretty good senior at my weight class,” he said. “But I’m confident I can break the lineup.”

This confidence is also shared by his current team-mates. “He will definitely do well,” Giesen said. “His work ethic is unbelievable and it will take him to the top soon.”

And as he becomes an up-perclassman on the team, Gre-nawalt hopes to “qualify and

place at the NCAA tourna-ment.”

With that, however, Gre-nawalt’s main priority will be furthering himself academi-cally. “I love wrestling, but I’m going to Brown for their aca-demics and to learn as much as possible,” he said.

Grenawalt’s commitment to Brown University not only sets up him well for the future but it helped the senior to move past the disappointment of his junior season. “When (Brown Univer-sity) heard about it they were just as upset as I was,” he said.

“But they really wanted me to move forward and that was a big help.” And with a universi-ty and teammates that support him, Grenawalt is poised for an exceptional senior year as he can put the stress of the college process behind him. “Commit-ting to Brown was the perfect combinations of both relief and hard work,” he said. “Know-ing that everything I’ve ever worked for has culminated like this is really special.” A special feeling for what is sure to be a special future.

Bright FutureWrestler grows from last season’s dissapointmentby Patrick Gifford

Young team makes history

The varsity volleyball team won the school’s first-ever re-gional championsip in the sport

with a victory over the Chelsea Bulldogs on Thursday, Nov. 8. The Vikings were in control

most of the match with the ex-ception of the second game in which they faced a 17-7 deficit.

The team responded with 10 straight points to win the game and eventually the match 25-21, 25-20 and 25-16.

This victory put the team into the state quaterfinals as it played Dearborn Divine Child on Nov. 13 at Eastern Michigan University.

This is where, however, the team lost its first game of the state tournament and went on to lose the match in four games 22-25, 16-25, 25-23 and 22-25.

The exciting state tourna-ment campaign came off a sea-son in which the Vikings were both co-champions of their league and district champions.

The greatest season in Haslett volleyball history is sure to serve as a springboard for a youthful team that will only lose two seniors.

Although it came to a dis-sapointing end, the future is bright for a team that is sure to build on their experiences from this season.Sophomore Makenna Ott hits a serve against Dearborn Divine Child in the state quaterfinals.

Photo by Tasha Bolda

Varsity volleyball wins district and regional championshipsby Patrick Gifford

continued from page 1

Senior Taylor Grenawalt poses with his family after signing his letter of intent to Brown University.Photo by Sierra Dove

8 November 20, 2012THE STERN

Game OnCast and crew fervently prepare for their first unveiling of ‘Damn Yankees’

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4photo story by Nick Gregory

1. Middle school teacher Jennifer Brooks styles junior Katie Lyon’s hair early Wednesday moring for the play previews. The cast and crew performed three previews, one for the middle school and two for the high school students. 2. Sophomore Mannon McIntosh applies stage make up in preparation of preview day. 3. Junior Joanna Henry practices the lighting queues for the production. 4. Senior Joel Reynolds runs through some of his lines for an early morning mic check. 5. Junior Emily Fulton runs through one final mic check before Wednesday’s previews. 6. Sophomore Stephanie Walker reviews her music before warming up with the rest of the pit on preview day.