Is censoring the internet a step too far?

Written by: Michael McElwain '12

            Of the many bills introduced by the United States’ legislation, many are passed by legislators or simply turned down, very rarely will they nationwide publicity. H.R. 3261, most commonly referred to as SOPA, is perhaps the most controversial bill that has appeared during our lifetime, resulting in mass protest and disapproval.

            SOPA is an acronym, standing for “Stop Online Piracy Act,” a bill introduced by Texas republican representative, Lamar Smith. Although the bill was first introduced on October 26, 2011 in the House of Representatives, major publicity and controversy did not begin until later 2012 when citizens became more aware of the bill in question.

            Vint Cerf, known for being one of the “founding fathers” of the Internet, was among the first individuals whom openly opposed SOPA. Cerf expressed his feelings in an open letter to Congress, where he stated, “If the US begins to use its central position in the network for censorship that advances its political and economic agenda, the consequences will be far-reaching and destructive.”

            After reading Cerf’s critique of SOPA, internet security experts, such as Dan Kaminsky, Steve Crocker, and Paul Vixie issued awareness on the serious and long-term effects that SOPA (and PIPA – Protect IP Act) would have on the country’s economy, as well as raising fear of more drastic changes, such as the bill’s effect on citizens’ freedom of speech and online privacy.

            Continuing with the domino effect, several human rights organizations sent an open letter to congress, opposing SOPA and brought up the group’s concern on the toll that such a bill would take on civil and human rights. As well, professors of law, entrepreneurs, and several leading venture capitalists voiced their opinions, saying that SOPA would create “serious constitutional, constitutional, innovation, and foreign policy concerns,” and ultimately hurt the country’s economical growth.

Mozilla, an organization focused on bettering the web by distributing a free, open web experience, was one of the first technology companies to oppose the bill and devote their time to make more internet users aware of the bill’s dangers and its effects on how we use the internet.

Mozilla, in major association with Google and Wikipedia, organized a “black out” censorship day to inform fellow American’s about the bill’s negative impact on the U.S. economy, as well as individual privacy and rights of citizens using the Internet. Along with Mozilla, Google, and Wikipedia, it was reported that January 18, 2012 an estimated 7,000 websites contributed to the nationwide service blackout.

The organization of multiple Internet companies working together for a censorship awareness day was a success – Google alone estimated that it had collected signatures from over 7 million citizens. There was also a rally held at the White House. An estimated 113,000 people showed up at the White House to oppose SOPA, upon which president Obama issued a statement saying “the White House opposes any bill that would make it easier for government to censor the Web or make the Internet less secure.”

            SOPA would ultimately lead to censorship of the web and would invade on the rights and freedoms of citizens. SOPA reminds each U.S. citizen how lucky they are to have the freedom of speech and that it should not be taken away anytime soon.

Piercing overload

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            How many different kinds of piercings are out there? We all know the common ones, the ears, the nose, and the belly button. Then there are the common, yet not so common ones. The tongue, the nose, the eyebrow, the lip, and so on. We’ve all seen some people take piercings way too far. Some have way too many piercings, or some people have insane gauges. Gauges are gross; not only because they look bad, but also they smell awful. The smell comes from raw skin that is being exposed to the air. Some people find them attractive and cool, but personally I find them nasty and unappealing. When you take them out, you have a huge hole in your earlobe and it is just dangling there. Gross! If they ever want to get rid of their gauges, they have to cut off the dangling skin so that their earlobe can go back to normal. What are you going to do when you get old? Be an old wrinkly person with huge dangly earlobes? Icky.

I think there are limits to how many piercings someone can get, and certain limitations to where they can get them. Any piercings on the ears would be fine, as long as it’s not a suicide. Any piercings on the face, unless it’s weird like right between the eyes, a bull ring, or the cheeks. The belly button is also one of the most common piercings. With the exception of the belly button I don’t find any other piercings on the body attractive or desirable. Especially, if someone is going as far to pierce their nipples or their genitals.

Now, there are some downsides to piercings. One would be infection. After getting a piercing you’ll probably get a long lecture on what to do to take care of the piercing and prevent infection. Granted, most people don’t wait the full time they tell you to wait until you change it, or take care of it with the disinfectants for as long as they tell you too. Another downside to piercings would be the job field. Depending on what you want to go into, many jobs frown upon piercings. You may not get a job because you have a piercing, that shows that is. Companies see it as unprofessional, and sometimes trashy. Now if you want to go into the piercing and tattoo business, feel free to get as many piercings as you want, because there it is acceptable; in fact, it is encouraged. If you want a job where you have to look professional, then you might want to reconsider getting any piercings that are visible; besides your ears of course. Even with the ears, limit how many earrings you put in when you go to work.

Some people look good with piercings, and others well, don’t. If you ever wanted to get rid of a normal piercing all you have to do is take it out before the time that it would be completely healed. The hole would just close up and it would be back to normal again, like it was never there. Just don’t plan to get it pierced again. Scar tissue will build up and you won’t have the blood flow there you need to heal the piercing.

If you are thinking about getting a piercing, think it through. Make sure it is something that will not interfere with your future and your abilities to do things, go places, and get certain jobs. You may think they look cool now, but when you are 65 years old, you may change your mind.

Our final stand

Written by: Mariah Rochester '12

           Goodbyes are something that we are going to have to face for our whole life. We say goodbye to our parents on our first day of preschool, to our friends after another dreaded school day, to people who move to another town, and the hardest of all, when someone we love leaves this world.

            I’ve never liked the idea of a goodbye being final. Knowing that I will never see a person again is something that I fear more than anything else. I know that I will always have to say goodbye to people during my lifetime, but I also know to use the time I have with them as well as I can.

            There are no words to describe the feeling that someone gets when they lose someone that they grew up with. It’s a sense of helplessness; despite their best efforts, that person isn’t going to stay. I know the feeling, and it’s hard to bear.

            I didn’t know who I was when my brother passed. I was lost in so many ways that I felt hopeless. Part of me was gone forever, and I couldn’t get it back, but I was so focused on the lost part of me that I forgot the part of me that was still here. I made desperate attempts to find who I was, but they all failed. It was with a reminder of my past that I was able to pull through and grow from the situation.

            Eighteen years is a long time to know someone and be close to them, I know because that’s how long I’ve had my best friend. Tori Davidson is someone I can always rely on, no matter the issue. I can’t remember not having her around, but it’s been eighteen years, and we’re going to have to say goodbye sooner than we think.

            The idea of not having Tori living in the same town is hard to bear, even though I know that I’ll see her again. She is the reason that I have been able to stand strong my whole life. With roughly five months until her departure, I know that I have to make the most of it. These next five months are going to be the most important of my life.

            When Tori leaves for Franciscan University in August, it will be the longest goodbye I have ever experienced. It is also a goodbye that is necessary for my own growth. Growing up is never easy, sometimes it’s the worst thing to grow through, but having one person by your side the whole time makes it that much easier.

            These last eighteen years have gone by much faster than I expected them to. I have never had to say goodbye to her, and I honestly thought I never would. Goodbyes are a funny thing, though they generally come with tears. August is going to be here before I expect it, and no matter how much I prepare for it, I’ll never be ready. Life after high school is going to be one of the most drastic changes in my life.

            School is a routine that’s hard to get out of. Thirteen years of waking up early, sitting in a room for six hours, and going home at the end of the day, just to repeat it again the next day. This is my life, and this simple routine is coming to an end soon. The only thing that is reassuring to me is knowing that no matter how far away I am from Tori, we will have a friendship that is unbreakable.

            I don’t know what point I’m trying to make with this. I started off thinking this was about goodbyes, and it morphed into keeping friends close. In the end, though, they go together; hand-in-hand. It’s hardest to say goodbye to a friend that has been there your whole life.

            I’m going to make the next five months count. I have no choice but to say what I need to say and prepare for the inevitable goodbye at the end. The goodbye that Tori and I are going to share in August is temporary, but it’s still going to hurt. The next five months will be full of hugs, tears, I love you’s, and most importantly, memories.

            This is it; our final stand.

Cell phone use in class?

Written by: Kaylee Heinz '12

I believe that cell phone use should be allowed in schools. Cell phones definitely have some educational advantages and can be of help to students. Students can stay connected with their parents, relatives and also friends. In a time of emergency cell phones can prove to be very useful. In the classrooms, cell phones can be a big help and a legitimate academic use. Technology today is a very helpful and important thing to have.

As stated before, cell phones have educational advantages. For example, many cell phones now days have internet capability. With our schools limited technology ability on computers, cell phones would be very convenient. Also, cell phones can be useful when in mathematics solving a problem, with built-in calculator to get the answer fast and correctly. Having cell phones in school would make things a lot easier on everyone, including teachers and students.

Students can also stay connected with their parents, relatives, and also friends. In a time of emergency or when parents wish to know if their child is doing fine or not, cell phones can come be very useful. This could be because of a death in the family, an accident or other family issue that may occur to require your son or daughter’s attention and/or attendance. By being able to call and text your child directly, you will also reduce the workload of the schools administration team. Also, the problems with knowing what’s going on after school can be avoided, when being able to communicate by cell phones.

The bathroom seems to be a very popular place to visit, is this because of cell phones? I notice that more kids leave class to send a text during the hour just to hide it from the teachers. I think that cell phone should be allowed in classrooms as long as they are not heard. On the other hand, I believe that they should be put away during tests and exams. If you have permission from a teacher I think you should be able to have them out during a discussion for learning purposes, such as recording the material talked about for later references.

Regardless of the schools policies, students already bring there phones to school in the first place. Being so tiny and compact cell phones are very easy to hide in places such as, clothing, shoes, purses, pockets, gym bags and many more places. If parents were to look at their phone bills each month they would notice that their child is already texting in school. Therefore, I believe that it is too hard to enforce a “no cell phone use” policy in school. So instead, I think that teachers and staff should look for ways to embrace the technology that is already being use in the classroom. 

ERHS student gets creative with prom invitation

Written by: Carly Darrow '12

Prom is approaching faster than we may think. With only a little over a month to go you may say that some students are becoming frazzled. For girls, the worry is to simply find a dress, and to find a good one for not a lot of money. For guys, the worry usually is to find a date, as there are not many high school boys who like to go stag with their buddies to prom.

May 5^th is this year’s special day. Soon one will be able to spot more prom posters and hear more announcements reminding the girls of their limited time frame to find a dress, and reminding the boys of the limited amount of dateless girls.

With that in mind some boys decide to get a little creative in how they ask their dates to prom. Our very own Patrick Maher ’13 stepped up this last week in asking his date to prom. During 4^th hour Patrick, along with a few helping hands, took sticky notes and wrote “Prom?” across the wall and decorated the lucky girl’s locker with his face. Anna Archey ’12 was pulled out of class for a “yearbook emergency” only to find the wall across from her locker decorated just for her asking her to prom. Her answer was of course a resounding yes as she turned red with flattery.

Even a simple thing such as sticky noting a wall can make a high school girl’s heart melt, and the advantage for boys is that it’s nearly impossible for a girl to say no if you really put the effort into asking her.

Boys, make a banner asking that special girl to prom, break into her locker and put a note in it with flowers, decorate their car with window markers, or even surprise her by making an announcement before school asking her.

Prom 2012 is on its way, date or no date. Get a little creative this year ERHS students, and for seniors, it may just be your last chance to do something such as this.

Spring Break + rising gas prices = controversy

Written by: Alexis Yerden '12

As everyone is getting ready for spring break something unexpected happens. Gas prices sky rocket to $4.16 a gallon. Many people plan ahead and figure gas money, spending money and other minor expenses. However; this gas price change is making everyone re-punch numbers to figure out the change. Twenty or thirty cents may not seem like a huge change but for people driving across state, this puts a huge dip into their pocket. Its all anyone can talk about and people are not happy with gas companies. There is a pattern with gas prices though so can vacationers really be surprised? As a big holiday or travel period nears gas prices inflate because the demand is so high for it and then after a couple days it goes back to normal. But the fact that it’s over $4 is driving people mad.

Gas prices increases were already outrageous before this raise but now people may react. Plans are already in play for spring break but what about after. There is already talk of people going on strike after break though. A large amount of people not buying gas for one day will dramatically affect the oil companies. But let’s face it, people today believe they simply cannot get anywhere without a car. It is one bad way the modern day people have changed. Even though the demand for gas prices comes from consumers they still complain about it. People need gas to certain extent and there isn’t much to be done about it but save pennies.

Walking is great for short distance routes and biking is also. It save money and gives people the workout they night need. It is also great for the environment. Buses are also great to take for long commutes. It really saves people money and is convenient for people as well. Car pooling is also good to do if going to the same destination. A gas price for an individual goes down a lot and it could improve their financial situation.

Concussions 101

Written by: Jessica Allen '12

Concussions are the most common form of brain injury. The word concussion comes from the Latin “concutere” which means to shake violently. Concussions are caused by a violent jolt or blow to the head. It is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) which changes the way the brain functions. Although concussions may not always be life-threatening, they can have serious long-term effects.

Concussions occur most often in high school athletes. Teenage brains are still developing and are extremely sensitive to the high speed, agility, and adrenaline that come with playing a sport. An estimated 136,000 athletes experience a concussion during each academic year. Some coaches believe in “taking one for the team”, but this should never be the case.

Surprisingly, girls have a higher incidence of concussions than boys according to a study done in 2007. However, football-related concussions make up about half of all of the high school concussions. Younger athletes take longer to recover due to their less developed brains, and more care needs to be taken before they return to play.

Some people think that in order for a person to have a concussion they have to have visible signs of an injury such as bleeding or bruising, or even that the person must lose consciousness. Some people may experience short and long term memory loss, which usually goes away during recovery time. This is not the case, however, as some people never experience any of these symptoms. Most people recover from a concussion within a couple weeks, rest along with staying hydrated is the best method for recovery.

Symptoms are organized into four categories: physical, thinking/remembering, emotional/mood, and sleep. Some of the most common symptoms are headache, blurred vision, not being able to concentrate, and having sensitivity to noise and light.

It is important to take concussions seriously, as they can have long-lasting effects. A recent study has shown that most athletes return to play too soon. It says that athletes should not return to play until symptoms have been absent for a week. Athletes who return to play too soon after a TBI are far more likely to sustain a second TBI than those who don’t.

Even if a person doesn’t exhibit signs of having a concussion, if a blow to the head occurs, it’s always better to be safe and have them checked out by a doctor. A player cannot return to play until they have been cleared by a physician anyway.

Concussions are a serious matter and should be taken as such. They can lead to some major health concerns, but taken care of properly with rest and plenty of hydration, they can be a relatively uneventful ordeal.

Spring athlete preview: Alex Fast

Written by: Allison Saint Aubin '14

           Showing the skills of leadership and a great work ethic, Alex Fast is setting himself up for success in the future. Working hard everyday, Alex Fast pushes himself to become the best. He puts forth effort 100 percent of the time. “I love to win, nothing less,” he says.

            Alex Fast plans on pursuing his athletic abilities in Track and Field in college. “He should go to a Division 1 school for pole vault,” says Landon Allen, his best friend. Alex wants to become a decathlete, just as his dad was in college. With his dad by his side every step of the way, motivating him and coaching him to be the best, Alex has set high expectations for himself and plans to reach nothing short of them. He really looks up to his father and his cousin, Ryan Lucas who holds the pole vault record here at Eaton Rapids High School. Alex is planning on beating his record so that he can get his name up on the wall. Sometimes it is hard to be coached by your dad, but not for Alex. He likes his dad; he pushes Alex to do well. Alex doesn’t mind though because he knows that his dad is only trying to make him better. Alex is undecided about where he wants to go to college; all he knows is that he wants to be doing Track and Field during his years in college.

            With having big accomplishments so far, Alex is excited about this upcoming track season. “This season I want to win Leagues again, hopefully hit 14’ 6’’, and go to states,” says Alex. As a team Alex expects them to win more than they did last year. “I hope that this year we can at least compete,” comments Alex on this year’s upcoming season. The events that Alex is going to participate in are 300 hurdles, 110 hurdles, and pole vault. Even as a sophomore, Alex’s hard-working habits put him in the position as an excellent choice for a captain. “It came as a great shock to be picked as captain, but I’m happy to have the responsibility. It feels good,” says Alex about being a captain.

            With Alex’s bubbly personality, it’s hard not to like him. “Alex is always funny, he knows how to make people feel awkward, and he’s not afraid to do anything,” say’s Alex’s best friend, Landon Allen. Alex isn’t just a hard-worker in sports, but also in school. Alex wants to go to a good college, in order to do so; he knows he has to keep his grades up and maintain a good GPA.

            No matter what he chooses in life, no matter where he goes, all Alex Fast wants is one thing. His one goal in life is, “be happy.”

ER girls basketball wins sixth district championship

Written by: Sean Mills '12

               The Girl’s Basketball program in Eaton Rapids has a history of success. Going into the 2011-2012 season, the program had won a total of five district championships.  This season has added another win to that list.  The Lady Greys were able to pull out a well deserved victory over the Williamston Hornets with a final score of 54 to 40.

                The team finished out the season with a record of 20 wins and 4 losses. The team was led by point guard Leighann Thilo (’12) who, “showed great leadership on the court,” says teammate Kathryn Mills (’14).  The team’s leading scorer throughout the season was Allie Dittmer (’14), the horse that carried the rest of the team.  “Allie’s magnetic hands were vital to our success,” said Mills.  The winning season inspired the girls and made them optimistic going into Districts where they faced challenging teams. 

The first game against Lansing Catholic Central proved to be a good first round matchup for the Greyhounds.  They got a feel for how Districts were going to be in this game, preparing them for what was to come.  They moved onto their next challengers, Charlotte, the rival school that they had beaten twice already during the regular season.  The Orioles showed a little more determination this time around, however, giving the Lady Greys a bit of a challenge in the first half.  The Greyhounds picked things up in the second half though, winning a well fought battle over the rivals.

The District final game against the Williamston Hornets showed that the girls deserved to be there.  They played as a team and everyone contributed to their success.  At the end of the night the final score was 54 to 40 and there was a new championship plaque to be added to the wall.  The District Championship title got the team excited for their next challenge.  “The win gave us a lot of confidence going into Regionals,” said Dittmer.

 The Greyhounds’ season ended at home with a crushing loss to Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in Regionals.  “We underachieved,” head coach Willis Whitmyer stated when asked about the final game.   When asked about his thoughts on next year he said the team will “go further than we did this time.”

Next season we will see the return of many key players, but the seniors that are graduating are leaving a hole where leadership is concerned.  “I think Taylor will need to take a leadership role as the senior,” explained senior Erica Bartley, “Allie will have to be a role model for the younger girls to help them focus and improve.” Drastic changes may take place between now and next season.  “We need to mature and we need to be able to handle the pressure,” said Emily Reineke (’14).

The season might not have gone quite as well as they’d hoped, but their optimism is growing.  The Lady Greys plan on coming back next season better than ever, they might have been knocked down but they’ll get right back up again to defend their championship title. 

March is reading month

Written by: Emily Peters '12

March is Reading Month is something that every high school student remembers from elementary school. Having to read for what seemed liked forever, and having your teacher read to you during class. The teachers in the lower grade levels wanted to help the children enjoy reading and to make it more interesting.

Many of the teachers contacted Mrs. Brantley about having high school students come to classrooms to read to the students. Brantley, the advisor of National Honor Society, wanted to get high school students involved in reading to the elementary level students. If an older student can show that reading is fun, it may have a bigger impact. “Having NHS students as role models can inspire the students to want to read can help them in their future,” Brantley says.

Last year was the first year that NHS was involved in reading to the younger children. Many high school students went to the lower level schools and enjoyed their time there. “I loved my experience because it was really fun to see the younger kids get excited about having high school students spend time with them,” says Megan Kelly, ‘12. “I felt like I was being a good role model for them.” Last year NHS took personalized bookmarks to the students they read to.

“Having high school students participate in activities within the lower grades can not only have an impact on the elementary students, but on the volunteers as well,” Brantley says. Last year NHS took personalized bookmarks to the students they read to, but this year they are taking pencils and erasers.  NHS is going to classrooms throughout the month of March.

March is Reading Month is a great way for teachers and older students to help the elementary students to enjoy and love reading. “It’s important for younger generations to enjoy reading because it encourages kids to think for themselves, use their imaginations, and explore new worlds,” Kelly says. Last year NHS received dozens of letters from students and teachers alike thanking them for reading in their classrooms. Having older students to look up to impacts how the elementary level students feel about reading and learning.

ERHS choirs receive high scores at festival

Written by: Jessica Allen '13

On February 22^nd, the Eaton Rapids choirs participated in the Choir festival at Holt High School. This year, our Chamber Choir and Sweet Harmony attended. The choirs go to two festivals every year. The most recent one is districts.

This year was Mr. Gailey’s first year taking a choir to a festival, and he didn’t know what to expect as far as scores and nerves. He says, “I knew the kids were prepared and that they would step up and have a great performance. They did and I am so proud of them.”

Chamber choir received an eight, eight, and six in the singing category and received a superior overall from all three judges. In the sight reading category they received a thirteen and excellent overall. Sweet Harmony received a nine, thirteen, and ten in the singing category as well as an excellent overall from all three judges. They earned a ten in sight reading with an excellent overall. With their high scores, both choirs qualified for and will be attending the state festival in early May.

Chamber choir opened their performance with "God is Seen" by Alice Parker and closed with "Hosanna in Excelsis" by Brent Pierce. Sweet Harmony opened with "Beau Soir" by Linda Spevacek and closed with "God Be in My Head" by John Rutter.

By Mr. Gailey’s standards, each choir’s performance of the four selections was the best they had performed yet. “They took the adrenaline of performing on stage in front of an audience, and used it to create wonderful music,” says Gailey.

What is the best part about a great performance? The reward that follows. Mr. Gailey promised the Chamber Choir that if they got first divisions he would bring them in breakfast, and he followed through on his promise. The next morning was spent eating breakfast casserole, muffins, and fruit salad in the choir room while going over scores.

            Mr. Gailey said, “While everyone in the groups performed well, I feel like I should give some extra love to all the wonderful seniors I have in both groups. They have been leaders from the beginning of the year, and their experience and musicality really showed at festival. Without them the ride to get there would not have been nearly as fun.”

            We are proud of our Greyhounds and wish them luck at state festival in early May!

NovaNET helps students recover credits

Written by: Mariah Rochester '12

           For some students, passing all their classes isn’t always easy to do. The reasons for not passing a class aren’t always good, or even sensible, but luckily for students, NovaNET allows them to make up the credits for the classes they have failed.

            “NovaNET is student management software that allows access to online curriculum,” says Mrs. Surato, one of the teachers who teach a NovaNET class. NoveNET classes at the high school are credit recovery classes and it is the same software that is used at Greyhound Central.

            The class allows students who have failed a class in the past to work online to receive credit for the class. The students do not receive a letter grade for making up the class on NovaNET. NovaNET classes are convenient for students that need to make up multiple credits in order to graduate on time.

            “NovaNET was piloted as a high school class in spring of 2011, but has been used for summer classes for at least five years,” says Surato. The class allows students to work at their own pace in order to get full understanding of what they are learning. Unlike in a normal class, students get instant feedback on their classes and are able to move on whenever they are ready.

            Students are able to teach themselves with NovaNET and do not have to worry about falling behind or having nothing to move onto like they would in a normal classroom setting. NovaNET also gives the availability of a class that might not be offered at the time.

            Since NovaNET allows credits to be received for many classes and only one teacher is teaching the NovaNET class, students must wait patiently for the teacher to help them if it is needed. The teacher also electronically passes the student onto the next course and getting right to it can take time when multiple students are ready to move ahead.

            NovaNET classes in the high school lack socialization because every student isn’t learning the same thing which makes it difficult to work together. The environment is more like that of a testing environment than a normal classroom. For students who lack long-term attention, NovaNET can be difficult due to not being able to remain interested in what class they are taking and focusing on what they should be doing.

            There are currently fifty-four students in ERHS who are taking NovaNET as a high school class in order to make up their credits. This does not include the students who go to alternative education at Greyhound Central. Students are able to sign up for after school sessions instead of taking the class during their normal schedule, if they would rather take it during a different time or take an elective.

            Classes that are required for graduation are the classes that students take using NovaNET. Basic core classes are better to make up because it is more difficult to schedule those classes during certain terms.

            More students are able to graduate on time due to NovaNET and can receive credits faster than they normally would. A class can be finished for a credit much faster with NovaNET compared to retaking the actual class. Although NovaNET does not give the student a letter grade for the class, the credit, which is necessary for graduation, can at least be obtained.