February
No Rules or No Dance!
By: Alexis Warren Tensions rose as faculty handed out a sheet of paper titled "Dance code of conduct." The paper listed expectations for before, during, and after the upcoming winter dance. It includes a dress code for ladies and men, such as appropriate dress length and no jeans. The rule students are talking about states "I understand that I am not allowed to engage in sexually explicit dancing." Many are refusing to attend the Snowcoming dance and worry it will be "lame." Ironically, the theme of the dance this year is “Made in the USA”, better known as military. Students made the joke, “Of course that’s the theme; they’re treating us like we’re soldiers.” “I wish the students would just suck it up and go,” a teacher who would like to remain anonymous stated, “Sometimes you have to break the rules to have fun. Whether they are going to be enforced or not is unsaid. If everyone decided to go it could be a really good time, if not, they could be missing out.” Senior Nadia Ansel complained, “This is my last school dance, I’m so bummed that everyone is taking the vow to not go. I already got my dress and everything. I hope people change their minds.” Instead, students of CHS are trying to throw their own dance with no restrictions. It will be at a local hall and cost the same amount, $10, to get in. Senior Hannah Coakley said, “Worst idea ever! I am not paying money to get into a party. I am so frustrated! What difference do the rules make! They haven’t changed.” The final decision for students to attend the dance or not will remain unknown until the day of, Saturday, February 8th. School Lunch
By: D’Juan Taylor As we all know school lunch isn't the best of lunches but it's better than nothing, right? Wrong! When it comes to lunches at Clawson High School, in my opinion, they don’t meet the satisfactory of students. Some days the lunches aren't as bad, but most days they are. For lunch to be $2.75 you don't really get a lot out of it. For one slice of pizza, it’s $2.75 with a complimentary choice of a juice or milk. Why pay for not even quality pizza for $2.75, when I can go to Jet’s Pizza and get a well-made slice for a whole dollar less. “It’s like cardboard with sauce and cheese,” Delaney Goulait complained. If lunch is going to be $2.75 it should at least be a full meal. I've had the chance to talk to fellow Clawson HS student and senior Justin Hill, and he also agreed that the lunch is a little overpriced. "Freshman year lunches were so much better than they are now," added Justin Hill. Also, I've noticed that the lunches aren't as sanitary as they should be. Multiple times I've found strands of hair in my food, and I've had to throw away my food because of it. Another CHS student by the name of Liz Struzik, one time even spotted a spider in her food. "I saw the spider and just lost it," Liz stated. The school should definitely make some changes to the lunches; no one likes nasty lunches. |
Despicable Me 2 Movie Review
By: Joseph Tabor Despicable Me 2 was the number one movie of 2013. Steve Carell is the voice actor for the ex-villain dad of three little girls. He becomes a spy and tries to save the world from the evil villain El Macho. Gru, the dad, is partnered with Lucy Wilde, voiced by Kristen Wiig, to help save the world. Of course they couldn’t do it without the help of Gru’s minions and his little girls Margo, Edith, and Agnes. “It’s a funny movie. I watch it with my nephew. He loves it! I see why it got number one,” Junior Lucas Saylor said. “When you hear about a movie with many great talents you know it’s going to be good,” Cody Sarvello, a junior, stated. Along with Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig there are many other big stars in the movie. They all together make for the number one movie in 2013. Despicable Me 2 deserves a five out of five for entertaining people everywhere. We got spirit
By: Ramone Boothe Every year Clawson High School has its traditional spirit week and pep rally, leading up to the big game Friday night and the dance on Saturday. Before the big game they have a week of fun dress up and activities you can be included in. The hard part about spirit week is picking out something that everyone would want to do and not just half the school; the more people the better. I went around Clawson High School and interviewed some students to get their input on spirit week. I asked Clawson basketball forward Marquian Johnson, what he thinks about the spirit week days and which ones he’s excited for. He replied, “None of them. I’m just ready for the big game. The day I’m most excited for is Tuesday, our day off.” I also asked student, Justin Hill if he was interested in spirit week. He replied, “Yes, I love spirit week. I love seeing the school come together and have a good time. I’m excited for Friday – blue and gold day. Everyone in their funny outfits gets me in the loving spirit of being a Trojan!” Many students are more excited about spirit week because of the way everyone comes together as one, for friendly competition to see who has the best class. |
The Truth Behind the Law
By: Hannah Coakley & Alexis Warren In 1931, Act 328, the criminal sexual assault law was established by the Michigan Legislature. Several changes were made prior to the effective date of April 1, 1975. The law is divided into three tiers:
Anyone over the age of 16 is guilty of criminal sexual conduct in the third degree if they engage in sexual penetration under any of the following circumstances:
CHS senior, Tedi Ameli, said, “ It’s crazy that even one year [difference] can be a problem.” The criminal sexual assault law is punishable for a maximum of 15 years in prison and offender’s name goes on the sex offender’s list. An indictment, an official written statement, can be filed up to 10 years after the offense or the victim’s 21st birthday, whichever comes later. Haley Bommarito said, “ Ten years is long time, and a lot can change in that time.” People need to be aware of this law and the conditions. Although teenagers may think they are in a consenting sexual relationship, they may have some problems with the law depending on the age of themselves and the other person. |
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
By: Courtney Olejniczak On the night of January 22, 2014, C.A.S.A. dance class had yet another fabulous show, “Dancing through the Decades”, at Ferndale High School. This show was originally scheduled January 7, 2014, but was rescheduled due to bad weather conditions. C.A.S.A. dancers weren’t the only dancers in this show, though. Although C.A.S.A. dancers performed 11 out of the 16 dances, this showcase also featured Ferndale High School’s Intro Dance Class in four dances and the closing performance of the night featured Ferndale’s dance/pom team. “It was a struggle putting the show together due to a lot of injuries and absences in the C.A.S.A. class, but the show came together nicely,” said former classmate Olivia Pope. C.A.S.A. dancers have been working and learning new choreography since C.A.S.A. had first started. Now that the semester is over, and all the shows and performances are over with, the dancers will be learning new choreography for the upcoming showcase in April. “I am very excited to see all the new costumes and dances!” says Corri Martin. Break a leg everyone! Review Story: Marquian Johnson
By: Alexis Garnett Clawson High School’s wide receiver number 2 Marquian Johnson has committed to Saginaw Valley State University. His total receiving yards for the season was 1998 yards, with a grand total of 100 catches and 28 touchdowns for his season. I got the chance to talk to Marquian about his future plans for football. "What made you decide on committing to Saginaw Valley?" "I know it'll be somewhere I'll be making an impact and a name for myself unlike a D1 college where I'll just be a waste of talent," said Marq. "When did you decide to take football more seriously than basketball?" "Around after my sophomore year,” said Marquian, “when I realized it's twice as hard to go to college for basketball." "Do you plan on going professional?" "That's a stretch, but if I have the opportunity I'll try,” said Marquian. “But I plan on majoring in exercise science." "If you did go professional what team would you want to get drafted to?" "The Dallas Cowboys," Marquian answered. Marquian will be starting in the fall at Saginaw Valley. He told me he is beyond thrilled to be starting at Saginaw. I see nothing but great things to come for him, and his future at SVSU and what he plans on majoring in. |
Bye Bye Biebs
By: Nadia McNamara Justin Bieber was recently busted for impaired driving and illegal drag racing in Florida. His bond was set at $2,500 and he was quickly released. The star made a brief appearance in court before leaving jail. Bieber has lost many fans and people are outraged with his reckless decisions. The anger is so severe that a petition has been made to have the star deported back to Canada. Justin has made no comment on the petition so far. Senior, Liz Struzik said, “Send him back [ to Canada], he is a bad influence on young beliebers.” The movement has grown so much in the United States. According to Washington Times, American lawmakers are also suggesting that the singer should leave the country. The petition has gained over 250,000 signatures. This is clearly over the 100,000 mark for the government to weigh in. The petition is on its way to the white house, so a decision has not yet been made about the singer. Senior, Nick Scott says, “I don’t think he’ll be kicked out, if he wasn’t being stupid we’d have nothing to talk about.” Which is true? Bieber has given the world a lot to talk about. He’s getting a lot of attention, but most of it is negative. Eva Gjidoda said, “He’s on a downfall, I don’t think he’ll recover from this.” Will Justin just be another star that lost his way? It remains unclear if Justin’s Visa will be affected. It will surely change his life if he can’t make as much money. All concerts would be cancelled and the die-hard fans that still love him will be upset. You may have to leave the country if you ever want to see another performance. |
What’s HOT this winter?
"Dance Dance" Revolution
By: D'Juan Taylor Clawson High School continues to ruin the fun in dances. "It's really stupid, they always try to take the fun out of something," said an anonymous sophomore. Snowcoming was supposed to be a dance to remember until principal, Ryan Sines, enforced the "No-Twerking Rule" that really got a lot of students heated. What has "twerking" ever done to anybody? “All the students want to do is have fun, it's a school dance not a fancy formal, it's not a big deal,” said Senior, Matt Pike. The way I see it, if CHS really wanted to make more money they wouldn't have said anything about explicit dancing. Why all of a sudden is there a problem? My whole high school career, people could dance the way they wanted to, and now the faculty has a problem with it. I think the whole student body would like a good explanation as to why this is just now occurring. I think it’s unfair that as a senior I couldn't even attend my last Snowcoming dance because 13 tickets were sold, and they had to cancel it. "I don't care, nobody was going to follow the rules anyway, especially not the seniors," added Justin Hill. Let's see how long this "rule" goes on for. |
CHS Cheer Invite
By: Corri Martin On February 1st Clawson High School will be hosting their second annual cheer invite. A total of seven teams will be competing at Clawson High School including Clawson’s own varsity cheer team and middle school cheer team. Each varsity team will be performing three rounds and the middle school teams will be performing only round two and three. The first round is judged on motions, jumps and voices. The second round is judged on skills such as tumbling, jumping and even doing heel stretches and splits. The third round is definitely the most exciting out of all the rounds. This round is judged on tumbling and stunting. Last year Clawson’s varsity cheer team took first place at this competition in their division. Will they be able to defend their first place title? Find out by attending the competition and supporting your Clawson cheerleaders! Clawson Girls Bounce Back
By: Justin Hill While the Clawson Girls’ basketball team work hard each day after school grinding in the gym and getting ready each and every game, they haven't had the most of luck this season. They have struggled mostly in the start of the season and unfortunately lost a couple games. But the positive side in the past few weeks is they have won a few games, including their wins over New Haven back in early January and a win against Clintondale in mid-January. Clawson does have a couple key players – one is Erin Shrum and the other is Takia Brown. Those two have been labeled as the “floor generals” by former head coach Kelly Horne. "I see the girls playing hard during games. The team has a decent game plan each night. It's just sometimes not executed to its full potential," said Horne. Even though the Clawson girls aren't having an easy season, they have high hopes and are trying to finish the season off strong. Full Court Press
By: Jalien Anderson Midway through the season the Clawson High Trojans basketball team has proven that they can compete with any team! The Trojans are now (6-6) after finishing just (6-14) last season. It seems the Trojans may actually make their presence known with a possible postseason run. The team still struggles but the offense has been clicking as the Trojans average over 50 points a game. Most can see the Trojans offensive explosion starts with senior guard, Jared Ocampo. Averaging an impressive 19 points a game, he also shoots 51% from the field. As a team the Trojans average 54 points a game meaning Jared averages 35% of the team’s total points per game. With 175 total points on the season, Ocampo is known around the league for his 3 point shot. He has the ability to pull up from long range and knock down the shot with ease. If given just a foot of space, Ocampo is liable to add another three to the scoreboard. “I just go out and play my game with confidence, try to stay focused and humble. It’s senior year, so I’m trying to make the most out of it,” Jared said during a brief interview. The Trojans success doesn’t stop with Ocampo, there has been some stellar off the bench play from for CHS from D’Juan Taylor and Chris Oles. Both players have portrayed their love for the game and versatile skillset in the minutes they get to spend on the hardwood. Oles, with a season high of 10 points, has started the last 2 games and to fill the shoes of ineligible starter, Kavon Thompson. Taylor has come off the bench, the past 2 games and put off productive numbers for the Trojans. Averaging 6 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal the last 2 games, Taylor is definitely earning himself more playing time. This may be only the second year under head coach "Rob Fulgnezi," but the Trojans are definitely clicking. Though they struggle with wining conference games (1-4) and fourth quarter closings, the Trojans still have had an impactful season so far. Coach Rob must have they key to success for this year. "Success was expected this year. Clawson has a rich tradition of basketball success and we wanted to keep it that way,” Coach Rob said during a brief interview after last nights game. He feels the biggest difference this year is experience. There have been a number of valuable returning seniors for the team. Don’t expect the same Trojans from last year. During the offseason it seems the team has renovated its chemistry and finally found the answer. 2013 Comeback Of The Year
By: Hannah Coakley February 2nd, Peyton Manning showed his recovery from four neck surgeries and an arm with nerve damage, when he took his team, the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl. Manning has had to overcome many obstacles in his career in the NFL. He was a first overall draft pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts. He played there for 14 seasons, becoming a four time MVP and winning the Super Bowl once. At the end of his time with the Colts in 2011, Manning had been through four neck surgeries. Manning kept his recovery process a secret by meeting with his collegiate quarterback coach, David Cutcliffe. Without Manning, the Colts had a rough 2011 season, ending with a record of 2-14 in the regular season. Although Manning’s doctors had cleared him to play in the 2012 season, the Indianapolis Colts were skeptical and decided to cut Manning. He had a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers in the middle of March 2012. At the tryout he decided it was time to make his recovery public. At the end of March, the Denver Broncos signed Manning a five-year deal for $96 million. He was the starting quarterback for the entire 2012 season and helped the team achieve a 13-3 record and become the American Football Conference (AFC)’s number one seed. The Broncos were knocked out in the divisional round by the Baltimore Ravens who subsequently became 2012’s Super Bowl Champions. Manning commenced as starting quarterback for the 2013 season, and the Broncos were ready. They ended the season with a record of 13-3 again, and were also the AFC’s number one seed for the second consecutive year. After Manning’s unbelievable recovery, the Denver Broncos won the AFC Divisional and Conference playoff rounds and headed to the Super Bowl, versus the National Football Conference (NFC)’s champions Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos fell to the Seahawks, 43-8. Although the Broncos didn’t win the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning’s recovery is still an amazing miracle. |
Manning vs The Legion of boom
By: Doug Vincent This Sunday, will mark the third time in the recent Super Bowl era that the top ranked offense will square off against the number 1 ranked defense. And in the past two meetings the top ranked defense has come out on top. But Peyton Manning and this high powered Broncos offense are here to prove something. Peyton Manning has led their offense to an average of 37.9 points, with 457.3 total yards, 340.2 of which came through the air this season. And they haven’t slowed down this postseason. For the Broncos receiving core are led by their big playmakers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. But they are not the only ones doing work for the Broncos, as five receivers had 60 or more receptions in 2013 and four scored ten or more TDs. These excellent ball catchers are one of the keys to Denver's offensive success. But they will be going up against the NFL’s top ranked defense, the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks D are averaging only 172 passing yard against them per game. The Seahawks boast the top-ranked secondary, rather confidently calling themselves "The Legion of Boom." They are especially strong on third down. Leading the way is cornerback Richard Sherman who is probably is the game's best cornerback. There isn’t a free safety out there playing like Earl Thomas has been. Kam Chancellor is playing like an old-school strong safety, lighting up anyone who has the ball. And Byron Maxwell has stepped in and been playing like all 3 of the other guys. This Super Bowl looks like it could be one of the better Super Bowls in recent years, so make sure Sunday night you are tuned in to watch a great football matchup or just to watch some funny commercials. Oles's Outstanding 10
By: Chris Oles 10: Michigan (15-4) The Wolverines are rolling with three straight wins against top-ten opponents (Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State), but with two bad losses to Iowa State and Charlotte, they’re lucky to crack this list. 9: Iowa (16-4) Despite two early losses to Villanova and in-state rival, Iowa State, The Hawkeyes have played extremely efficient basketball and find themselves sitting third in the Big 10 behind Michigan and Michigan State. 8: Kansas (15-4) Bill Self’s Jayhawks have really hit their stride this season behind freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embid. With these two future top ten draft picks the Jayhawks find themselves in first place in the Big 12 with a perfect record so far (6-0). 7: Florida (17-2) Florida has won 16 of their last 17 games and has won 9 straight, including a win over Kansas and an overtime win at Arkansas. The Gators have rallied around Senior forward Casey Prather, who leads them in scoring (16.8 ppg). 6: Michigan State (18-2) Although the Spartans dropped a home game against in-state rival, Michigan, Tom Izzo’s team has battled injuries all year. Adreian Payne and Brandon Dawson have missed the last few games, and that has really hurt Sparty. 5: Villanova (18-2) The Wildcats have played above expectations this year. With wins over Kansas, Iowa, and a win at Marquette were impressive, however a 30 point loss to an unranked Creighton is a very disappointing loss. 4: San Diego State (18-1) San Diego State’s almost perfect record was shattered in the Aztec’s second game against Arizona. Since then they have won 17 straight including an 85 point slaughter against the Firebirds of St. Katherine and an overtime win at Utah State. 3: Wichita State (21-0) The Shockers continue to dominate conference play in a weak Missouri Valley. Unless there’s a devastating upset, an undefeated regular season is very possible for the unbeaten Wichita team. 2: Arizona (20-0) The dynamic duo of freshman standout, Aaron Gordon and scoring guard, Nick Johnson have put the Wildcats over the edge this season as they take un undefeated record into conference play. If they can escape tough road games at Colorado and Oregon, Arizona could take a perfect record into March Madness. 1: Syracuse (19-0) This Syracuse team looks good, real good. The Orange have had very few scares this season (besides a 6 point win to St. Francis). Senior, C.J Fair, leads them in scoring (16.7 ppg) as a freshman, Tyler Ennis leads the team in assists (5.4 apg) and seems to be the floor general for this Syracuse team. |