Feature Teacher: Mr. Jackson

Written by: Jessica Allen '13

             For the past 20 years, Mr. Jackson has been teaching at ERHS, where he has been available to students for extra help, tutoring, and even counseling. He always has a story or interesting joke to tell in order to brighten a child’s day.

             The need for unique experiences drove Mr. Jackson toward becoming a teacher. “I switched from the paint industry to teaching because as hyper as I am, I couldn’t do the same thing every day. Teaching has allowed me to have different interests. And I like that I’m always meeting new people, the students and classrooms are ever changing.” Jackson teaches because he likes interacting with all kinds of people and helping students learn while having fun.

             During his career, Mr. Jackson has taught Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Science. “Although I like all my classes, my favorite class to teach would have to be chemistry because it’s fun for me to make something difficult to get, easy for kids to understand.” Even teachers like Mr. Smith, Mr. Debow, Mr. Fransen, and Mrs. Surato studied under Mr. Jackson during their high school experience.

            He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry, Master’s of Science Teaching, and a Teaching Certification from MSU and LCC, where he spent 3 years at each. “My favorite class in college was probably chemistry because I became very close friends with my professor. We have gone on many outdoor trips together,” says Jackson.

           In his free time, Mr. Jackson goes camping, fishing, backpacking, bicycling, and anything that involves enjoying the outdoors with his family. He has a wife, two sons, and two daughters, each set 10 years apart.

           Mr. Jackson also coaches the boys swim team. “I like swimming because it’s an individual and team-oriented sport. You could do not so hot, but your team can still win. It also works the other way around, your team could lose but you could have swum your best time. I like that outstanding swimmers can be recognized and awarded for their hard work.”

           The person who has inspired him the most is Jesus Christ or “J.C.” as he has been nicknamed. “I admire J.C. because I’ve seen the most rewards by hanging out with him.” Mr. Jackson has a whole book full of stories, literally. His book, Encountering the Kingdom, is filled with real-life experiences of his life. There are stories about God, demons, and his life as a preacher. So far, 500 copies have been sold. You can pick one up in his room for $5, or online at www.windingroadminitries.com.

           Mr. Jackson is a man full of stories, life experiences, and jokes. He always has others high on his priority list and is a great mentor for his students. Even kids he doesn’t know receive a hello from him in the halls, teaching them that kindness can take you very far.

Cody's Wish

Written by: Janaya Roes '11  
       

            December is the season of giving. Giving toys to children, gifts to love ones, and to those in need. Cody Chapman, an Eaton Rapids alumnus, began the program that soon became known as “Cody’s Wish.” Chapman made a proposal to Interact, detailing his idea about providing Christmas gifts to children in our local community that otherwise would not have any gifts, and to help people out in their time of need during the holidays.
          “I started Cody's Wish when I saw my Mom bring home one of the Salvation Army angels and thought it was a really cool idea,” said Chapman. “I wanted to do something like that for Christmas and thought getting something like that started at the school would work really well.” This once little idea, has worked out so well that the Eaton Rapids High School has continued this program now for four consecutive years.
           The name of the project was exactly what Cody did, he made a wish to help others, but Chapman believes the name should be changed. “If I were to change anything I suppose it would be the name. As much as I love my name, I think it would be better and last longer with a name more related to the project,” said Chapman.

          Interact decided to keep the name being that Chapman was the one who initiated the idea and the group feels he should receive the credit.
           The impact of Cody’s Wish was huge in the school. As word spread, sports teams, clubs, and individuals took a part in giving back to the community. Some of the groups involved this year are: The Bark, Yearbook, Student Council, and the High School custodians. Members of these groups chose a child from Mrs. Trudgeon our librarian, donated a couple dollars each, and then bought items that the child had asked for. Everybody remains anonymous with their gifts and to who they are going too. In a way, its like Secret Santa.
            As head of Interact, Mrs. Stacy Surato plays a big part in helping, organizing, and colleting the gifts. She compiled lists of all the children in need and created sheets with each child’s age and the gifts they wished for. “It honestly wouldn't have happened without her,” said Chapman. Surato was the right person for Cody to go to with his proposition. She was able to get it started in the right direction.
            Chapman hopes the giving will continue in our school and feels that as long as someone has the notion to pick up the idea and carry it forward, Cody’s Wish will continue on for years to come. Though he is no longer at the high school he is proud of what Interact, the students, and the staff’s efforts continue to do. Many kids in the Charlotte and Eaton Rapids areas have received presents from one honorable students’ wish.

ERHS Student Handbook

Written by:  

            “You know you can’t do that. It’s in the student handbook.”

             The student handbook is an almost legendary artifact, making many appearances in teacher’s lectures against this offense or that one, but almost never making a real appearance in a student’s hands. How many students have actually read the handbook, or know what rules it contains?

            When asked whether or not it was real, a teacher just happened to have a copy of the mystic text in his desk. The sheer size of it makes it known why it is the student hand “book” and not student pamphlet.

             It was simple in show, boasting only a pink cover, a single staple in the top left corner, and then just the pages within. When flipping through the holy texts, it is too overwhelming to actually read what it states, but rest assured, it is full of all the legalese that our teachers promise us.

            “It’s on the website, if you want to download it.” a teacher explained, before he took back his copy of the student scriptures.

            It can be downloaded, but you may have to take some time to find it.        

            If you actually read through all 23 pages, you may find many, many rules that you were totally unaware of.

            A quiz was made to see just how well the students here at ERHS know the handbook rules, and was distributed to five students from each graduating class.

The averages for each class were:

Seniors: 24%

Juniors: 22%

Sophomores: Failed to give turn in all five quizzes, so they get no score.

Freshmen 22%

            The high score for the quiz was a 50%, achieved by a freshman and a senior. The low score was a 0%, achieved by a junior.

These questions were not hard. They were simple, and anyone who has read the student handbook would have easily received a B on the quiz. So it can easily be assumed that no one who took the quiz has read the handbook.

“I definitely think that all students should read (the handbook)” Said Mrs. Allison.

            But the fact that we have or have not read the handbook does not necessarily affect our behavior negatively. Our school is still a safe and respectful place, and not reading the handbook isn’t going to change that.

Word of the Month

Lucifugous

Jake Ghaffari '11: "A bad name to call someone."

Tori Davidson '12: "A silly person."

Mike Kitsmiller '13: "Flem in  your throat."

Hailey Simmons '14: "An allgergy."

Definition: avoiding light.

Former Greyhound Basketball Player Goes Big

Written by: Devin Gauna '13



Former Greyhound, Alex Gauna proves that hard work pays off.

                  No one would have thought that 6’5” Alex Gauna would be an asset to the Eaton Rapids Varsity Basketball team as a freshman. The talk about Gauna jumping up to varsity his freshman year all started when he was in the 8^th grade.

Alex himself wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it; he thought maybe he should just play for the junior varsity team for his first year. After a lot of thinking he decided to take the chance and see if he could help out the Greyhounds.

Being on the Varsity team didn’t come easy. After hard practices and lot of overtime, Gauna eventually became a superstar for Eaton Rapids fans. During Alex’s junior year, 2008-2009, the Varsity Greyhounds were invited to play in the Holiday Hoops Classic at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. This, coupled with the fact the Hounds played in the Holiday Hoops Classic again Alex’s senior year, enabled Alex to be viewed on an elite stage.

While sporting his famous #1 jersey with the Greyhounds, Alex set many lofty goals for himself.  He wanted to beat the Single Season Block Record by the end of his senior year. This was one record Alex did not achieve by the end of his senior year. However, he broke six other records for the Eaton Rapids Boys Varsity Basketball team, one of them being the career record for Blocked Shots at ERHS, with 218 blocks.

The other school records he broke were Field Goals made in a career, with 505 shots; Three Point percentage in a season at 51% in 2010; Three Point percentage in a career with 38.6%; Free Throws made in a career at 288 free throws; and career Free Throw percentage at 75.2%.

But Greyhound basketball was not the only team Alex could be found playing for. Alex also played AAU basketball for the Mustangs. The Mustangs is the top elite basketball team in Michigan, which requires a difficult try-out period to become a member. It is an honor to be handed a jersey for this team, and Gauna was gifted enough to have the opportunity to be on the court with that team. The Greyhounds were glad to have a Mustang wearing their uniform every Friday night to help bring in a couple more wins, and many more fans, for the team.

Prior to Alex Gauna’s senior year, he began getting numerous letters from different colleges from all over. However, the one he really wanted to attend was the NCAA Division I school closest to home, Michigan State University. After multiple meetings and a period of weighing his options, Gauna received and offer he could not refuse.

The Spartan coaching staff offered Gauna a full-ride scholarship to play on the Michigan State Men’s Basketball team. Graduating at 6’10” with a four-year varsity plaque, Alex was ready to play at the next level. After meeting his new team, getting his shoes, and his dorm room, Gauna received his new jersey, #2. Alex was now officially a part of the team.

Gauna was introduced by Tom Izzo at Midnight Madness as the first Mexican to ever play for Michigan State Men’s Basketball. Now living his dream at MSU, Alex receives assistance from a personal tutor, like all MSU freshmen athletes, to keep his grades in line, a personal trainer to keep him in shape, five hundred dollars a month for food, and shoes for whenever he needs them.

Gauna’s hard work and dedication is now paying off. Gauna played 8 minutes and scored 6 points during his first exhibition game as a Michigan State basketball player. Though it appeared Gauna may have won a spot in the playing rotation, Coach Izzo informed him after the second exhibition game that he had the opportunity to be red-shirted this year, as the coach did not envision Gauna getting much playing time. 

When a player is red-shirted, he is not allowed to play in games during that season, but in return earns an fifth year of eligibility while still maintaining all of the benefits of being a member of the team.

Gauna took that opportunity with no hesitation. Now Alex has a 5 year, full-ride scholarship and courtside seats to every MSU basketball game. Alex Gauna fans can see the old Greyhound superstar on television when he shoots around in the beginning of each game sitting on the sideline supporting his team.

But don’t worry Eaton Rapids; look forward to next season when our former Greyhound, Alex Gauna, can be seen on the court making slam dunks for a national television audience.

Cody's Wish

Written by: Izzy Bellville '12 
       Help fulfill Cody's Wish this year by adopting an underprivileged child this Christmas season. Head to the High School library to adopt your child, and make sure to bring your gifts by the 15th!