Michigan parents now tracking their teen's driving

Written by: Mariah Rochester '12         
          With new programs and technology, Michigan parents can track the driving habits of their teens. Parents are able to track when their teens are pulled over and the location of the vehicle. They receive alerts when teens are rapidly accelerating or decelerating, they can set geographic boundaries, and they can keep track of how much time their teens spend behind the wheel.

         The STOPPED program, which stands for Sheriffs Telling Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers, is a free program available to all parents with teen drivers. When a vehicle is registered with the STOPPED program, a sticker is placed on the inside of the front windshield and when a young motorist is stopped by a sheriff’s deputy, his/her parents receive a letter about the traffic stop even if a ticket is not issued.

Heartland and Pinckney High Schools in Livingston County require all students who drive to school to have vehicles registered in STOPPED.

         The Michigan Sheriff’s Association says that more than 16,000 vehicles are registered in the STOPPED program. Parents can register a vehicle at http://michigansheriff.com.

Holland’s Crayon Interface’s wireless training tool, Copilot, is an innovative device that plugs into a standard port found in all vehicles built after 1995. Copilot tracks, in real time, the driver’s performance on everything from speed to location through the use of personal computers, software, and mobile devices.

         Parents can instantly locate their teen drivers using an interactive map, they receive alerts when the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating rapidly, they can set geographic boundaries for their teens, and they can track their teens’ time spent behind the wheel for verification of supervised driving time required by most graduated drivers licenses.

          Copilot is about half the size of a deck of cards and plugs directly into a vehicle’s computer diagnostic port, which is normally located under the dash near the steering column. It costs $299 with an annual renewal service fee of $99 after one year.

          Crayon Interface’s vice president of business development, Kevin Virta, says, "The goal of Copilot is to give parents a method of observing and teaching their teens safe driving without always being in the passenger seat of the vehicle." The company hopes to reduce the number of traffic accidents, which is the leading cause of teen deaths.

         DriveCam is offered by The American Family Insurance Company as part of its Teen Safe Driver Program. DriveCam is a tiny, onboard camera that records when risky driving, including speeding, hard-braking, or swerving from lane to lane, occurs. The video information, which includes images from seconds before the event, is sent to safety analysts who provide a diagnosis and possible solutions.

         Rusty Weiss, the director of the consumer division at DriveCam, thinks that having a camera in the car prevents driving habits that teens would not want to be caught doing.

         Policy holders with American Family Insurance are eligible for a free one year subscription to the Teen Safe Driver Program, and DriveCam offers families with different insurance providers the technology for $899, including installation and a one year subscription.

         Safe Driver from Lemur Vehicle Monitors is intended to be a ‘tattletale’ for parents to monitor how their teens are driving. Safe Driver records the distance driven, any stops that activate the anti-lock brakes, and the maximum speed reached by the car.

         The Lemur system is about $60 and easy to install. The device plugs into the car’s OBDII port underneath the dash and transmits wirelessly to a key fob on the car’s key ring. If it is unplugged, parents will receive a "Tamper" message to know that their teen has deactivated the unit.

         According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, high tech devices worked best when a teen heard an alert and was given the chance to correct their behavior while driving. Driving ten miles per hour over the speed limit dropped almost 60 percent, and sudden braking and accelerating dropped almost 40 percent.

         Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that unaccompanied 16 and 17 year-olds crash nine times more often than adults. When parents are out of the car, seatbelt use drops to less than 40 percent of the national average. Teens and teenager passengers are the most accident-prone group; except when their parents are in the car. Though few teens are likely to admit it, having a monitoring system in the car may be the "next best thing" to having parents riding with them.

Steve Jobs, innovator, is remembered

Written by: Isaiah Bellville '12

          On October 5th, 2011, the world lost one of its greatest innovators and inventors. Steve jobs passed away at age 56; 6 years after his announcement to Apple employees that he suffered from pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs was an iCon, a leader in a revolution that emphasized innovation and creativity. Jobs was always one step ahead of the competition in an industry that demanded originality, and wanted it now. Jobs is looked at as a role model.           

         He set the bar in the industry that he cared so much about.

         Jobs was unique. His past didn’t seem like one that would make for a business giant. Jobs was an adopted child, born to then unmarried parents. He claimed that the couple who adopted "were his parents", a statement which readily portrays the close relationship he shared with his adoptive parents. Jobs attended college for only one semester at Reed College. There was a period shortly after dropping out that Jobs spent sleeping on the floor of friend’s homes, using the money he earned by returning pop bottles for food, and taking a free meal every week from a local temple.

          Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Jobs resigned from Apple in 1985, and started his own computer company, NeXT. Jobs worked on NeXT computers until 1996, when it was bought out by Apple. The first NeXT workstation was completed in 1990, and was sold at a price of almost $10,000.

           At Apple, Jobs received a yearly salary of $1. He made almost all of his riches through stocks that he had in Disney/Pixar and Apple. He bought "The Graphics Group", which later became Pixar.

Greyhound pair wins regional title

Written by: Blake Johnson '13

This season the Eaton Rapids 2^nd doubles team of Zack Laginess and Alex Arrington was very successful. They finished with a strong record of 18-2, (losing to Lumen Christi twice) and ended up winning the regional championship!

On their way to the title, Laginess and Arrington took out Haslett, Mason, and an undefeated Lakewood team; which was arguably their best match.

Even when times looked tough, they still found ways to pull through. For example, when an injury plagued Laginess early in the season, Tanner Jones (’13) stepped up and delivered an excellent performance to defeat Dewitt and to keep what had been an undefeated streak, alive.

Head coach Ryan Anderson felt that their success was due to, “A combination of team chemistry, their skill as individual tennis players, and the position they were in as second doubles players.”

Anderson also said that the rest of the team stayed consistent and strong around them to keep Zach and Alex in their positions through the whole season.

Even with the team behind them, winning consistently was quite a challenging thing to do. “Staying focused after three straight matches was really hard,” said Arrington when asked about the regionals. “You have to find ways to stay pumped up and ready to play.”

Luckily for them, all of that hard work paid off, and they became the only Eaton Rapids players to win a regional title this year. That title was an accomplishment both of them would agree highlighted the season and it is a memory they will have for a long time.

Athlete of the Month: Natalya Ferri

Written by: Jacqueline Mills '12

            Cross country can be a very overwhelming sport, but for Natalya Ferri, it’s a piece of cake. Fall 2011 is Natalya’s first year of cross country. She has also participated in other sports in the past such as track and softball. She is a sophomore and for a first year cross country runner, she is starting off very well.

            In track and field, Natalya would run short distances only. Her longest distance in track was 400 meters. This would require her to sprint for a short distance and would also make her push herself for a short period of time. This is why she was intimidated by the thought of joining the cross country team. She was not sure she would be able to run long distances such as 3.1 miles (5k).

            During parent teacher conferences last spring, Natalya’s mom and Coach Smith had a very long and engaging discussion. It was about Natalya joining cross country for the fall 2011 season. They were determined to get her to join the team. After a while of Natalya’s mom nagging her about joining the cross country team, Natalya put aside her doubts and gave in. She had officially decided to join the cross country team.

            Natalya’s first meet went very well. She ran 2 miles and placed 4^th among the Eaton Rapids girl runners. She kept working to get better times at practices and while running at home. Her practices consist of stretching and then running on the treadmill while listening to music or running down the road and back. Natalya says, “I make sure I’m all stretched out and then I run. What else would I do?” After long practices on the trails with the team and the practices at home alone, it started to pay off.

            Coach Smith thinks that Natalya has a lot of determination. This could be an understatement. Natalya tries her best at everything. There is not one second when she is not trying her best. This doesn’t just apply for cross country, she tries her best at school and all the other sports she participates in as well. Due to her hard work, Natalya has become the number one runner for the Eaton Rapids girls cross country team.

            During practices, Natalya kept giving her all. The girls would do practice runs and Natalya started to get the fastest times. So far Natalya’s best time is 20 minutes and 27 seconds.

Practices for the cross country team are not just a ton of running. Natalya says, “I like that we spend time together as a team and it’s not just all about running.” The team has gone out and got ice cream together and they just spend time together and talk. The team even sits around and does homework together before meets.

            As a sophomore in high school, Natalya’s running skills are great. Her practices are paying off and she knows it. For a first year runner and a sophomore, Natalya Ferri has shown that it’s not size or age that matters, it is determination.

Greyhound gridders visit Michigan State

Written by: Kanon McVicker '12

ERHS Varsity and Freshmen football players pose for a photo after  tough practice

Practicing in a Division 1 College environment is a rare opportunity for any high school athlete. However, the Eaton Rapids football program was given the privilege to utilize this once in a lifetime experience. Anticipating playing on turf against Dearborn Edsel Ford on October 7^th, head varsity football coach Bob Ribby pulled some strings at his college alma mater in East Lansing. At about 5:40pm on October 5^th, the Eaton Rapids Varsity and Freshmen football teams piled on two buses and headed out to Michigan State University.

As they filed off the bus, each individual, including the coaches, seemed to have an altered mind-set. The atmosphere outside radiated with a new kind of focus and determination brought on by the sheer power and size of the MSU football facilities. The Varsity captains led both teams, two-by-two, into the Duffy Daugherty Building. This was far from just another practice.

Defense set the tone for the rest of practice, starting off the day with the usual warm up run and stretches. Getting used to the unbelievably flat and soft turf was tough at first, but soon the players seemed to be flying around faster than the day before.

The players definitely felt the change in intensity.

According to Jacob VanVliet, being in a college environment for football, especially a nationally ranked team like Michigan State really raised the intensity and level of everyone’s game. “Everyone was excited about going there to practice and play on the new turf. I feel it really brought the best out of everyone’s game and if we could we would practice there every day after school,” said VanVliet.

All in all, practicing at MSU was a great, once in a lifetime experience for the Eaton Rapids football players.

Head2Head - Students SHOULDN'T have part-time jobs

Written by: Janna Wing '12

         Having a job takes a lot of time, effort, and responsibility. During the school year, your focus should be on your studies. As your senior year approaches, having great grades, attendance, and involvement in extra curricular activities are important in getting accepted into colleges. Student’s grades easily start dropping when the work load increases.

         Although jobs could be beneficial, high school is a busy time in a student’s life and managing time can be very difficult when dealing with the pressure of a job on top of school work.

         As students strive to find a part time job during high school they usually believe that they will work a limited amount of hours a week, but what they don’t realize is, as a minority, the employers often pressure them to put in more hours a week. During holidays, stores begin to also increase work load and as the stores get busy they will make the employees do a lot of extra hours to keep everything on track. With their already busy schedules filling up quickly, the time that students need for school work is decreasing rapidly. Students need to see that they are only part-time workers. Is it really worth getting a job that has low pay and requires little skill that does not stretch them mentally and teaches them little compared to school?

         High school is much more then lessons. The best times of high school take place after school. The time that is not spent doing hours of school work should be spent hanging with friends, family and going to school events. We are still young and should enjoy our childhoods before we have to enter the real world where work is necessary. Having a part-time job will make you miss out on these opportunities and memories that can’t be remade.

          A part-time job during the school year can be too overwhelming. During the summer would be a more appropriate time. Grades are too important for college. Students need time to experience life, grow up and become well-rounded individuals. Having a job can feel as if your being pushed into the world of work way to quickly.

Head2Head - Students SHOULD be able to have part-time jobs

Written by: Kaylee Heinz '12      
        I believe that high school students should have a part time job of some sort. High school students have a part-time job for a number of reasons. A few of those reasons may possibly be necessary for the individual, desired and or required.

        I feel that having a paid job is a normal part of growing up. For centuries teens were ordinary members of the workforce. And since education became essential, hundreds of millions of students have successfully combined school work with a part-time job. I have found that working a few hours outside school does not harm achievement, so there is no reason to veto the idea. Even if having a job did affect student’s education, teens are old enough to make that choice for themselves. It should not be forced on them by an official banning.

        About two-thirds of high school students have jobs. Just under half of those students have jobs that money is dealt with under the table like babysitting or mowing the neighbor’s lawn. Therefore, money is not deducted due to tax purposes. Students who are on official payroll, about two-thirds work in food service or other retail businesses, such as beauty salons or grocery stores.

        A major reason why high school students work is for extra money. Most teens work because they want the money, but a part-time job can have other benefits. I feel that high school students should have a job to be able to be independent, instead of relying on mom and dad for everything. Therefore, students might also even work to help their parents out economically. I think that you should consider having a job especially if you do not participate in any extra curricular activities after school. High school students that are considering their future may possibly even save money to attend a secondary school, Parents can also have a lot to do with why a student is working while in high school; they may force the student for the reason that it is able to give them work experience that everybody needs.

        Communication, teamwork, and leadership skills among their peers can be more important than technical skills. Having a job can also lead to the student to start being more responsible and not having to rely on their parents for everything. It could make kids grow up and have a better outlook on his or her future. I believe people must trust us teens to find our own way in the world, deciding which opportunities we will take. For most students, getting a part-time job is an important way of gaining independence. If we keep students wrapped up safe at home and school, they will never develop an adult identity. The danger then is they won’t be able to cope when they have to go to college or leave home for the first time without their mom and dad.

Nusquam Abscondere

Written by: Isaiah Bellville '12

         The nice part about having my own column in the newspaper is that I can pretend like everybody cares about my problems, write about them, and have them published. It’s a pretty sweet deal.

          I love being editor of the Opinion page too. I love listening to other people’s opinion on subjects. I’ve always wanted to have a special segment of the paper dedicated to letters to the editor, but we haven’t had enough feedback to actually keep it going.

          The best part of people’s opinions, are that they sometimes conflict. I find it amazingly interesting to get the point of view of two different people on the same subject, especially when they are passionate about the subject. I find that listening politely to someone’s argument, whether you agree with it or not, is the best policy for effectively learning about both sides of a subject.

          There are subjects, though, where people are a little too passionate. When people start talking about these arguments, I usually choose not to listen, and walk away. It’s the safest option sometimes. It’s sad that even bringing up these subjects can send people into a violent rant on the subject, and how wrong the opposing argument is. It’s perfectly acceptable to disagree with someone’s opinion, but to ridicule and belittle someone for their opinion is plain ignorant. It shows a level of immaturity that says that you aren’t ready to argue about the topic yet.

           I find it disheartening that these topics cause so much unrest in people that I was told I would be censored if I even remotely mentioned them in this article.

I understand that people feel strongly about some topics, but the anger and hate that some people profess to having towards opposers of their beliefs.

          When I was at a Grand Rapids Art Musuem festival, I met a Ms. Steele. Ms. Steele was an author, who wrote for magazines, but also had her own book on teaching. She told me that her favorite thing to study was the "Third Side". She explained to me that the Third Side is the part of the argument that neither other sides take into consideration. She told me about how silly it was for someone to completely disregard the points that the opposing side of an argument has, believing instead that you should listen to both sides of an argument, and then fromulate your own opinion.

           Dictionary.com defines an opinion as: "A personal view, attitude, or appraisal." Personal. An opinion is personal. It is something that you hold to yourself, and believe by yourself. Not something others need to believe in. Dictionary.com also defines it as: "A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty." Opinions are not facts. Everyone is entitled to believe what they wish.

            Try to listen to someone else’s opinion on something today, and don’t judge them. See how it works for you.

This side of the net

Written by: Carly Darrow '12

                It’s that time of year again. The time of year where the leaves change color and slowly start to fall, where businesses start selling hot chocolate, pumpkin patches and cider mills are busy with customers, and the fall jackets start to come out of the closet.

                Agreeably, fall is one of the most beautiful seasons, what with its leaves turning magnificent colors and hearing the crunch of them under your feet as you walk.

Or maybe that’s not your favorite part about fall? Cause it’s not my favorite part either. I adore Halloween more rather than the leaves or the cooler weather.

Scary movies, haunted houses, costume parties, free candy, and scary stories. Fall is eerie, and what could be better than getting scared and feeling that adrenaline rush?

Though most people don’t exceptionally love being scared like I do, there’s the costume aspect as well. The best part of dressing up is getting into it and “going all out”. It annoys me to see kids wear their street clothes on the night of Halloween and a mask or the girls wear cat ears as their costume and go door to door just to get the goods.

Don’t we remember what it was like as a kid? Sitting at home getting ready and having your mom take a thousand and one pictures of you. Watching it get darker and darker outside as you nag at your parents that you are ready to go. As the siren finally blares on that October 31^st night signaling the start of trick-or-treating, and then it really begins.

You bound around dark streets while other children are running door to door and are comparing costumes. Your parents trudge behind you and tell you to slow down and remind you that there is time. And you do the most important job of all; making sure that every house in the neighborhood is hit, because none can be left behind until that siren blares again. You go door to door and say the phrase that has been engraved in your head and you have been waiting to use.

“Trick-or-treat!”

So what has changed since then? Amicably, your costume choices begin to change. Instead of picking you’re favorite superhero or being the prettiest Disney Princess, you begin picking what looks best, what’s more popular at that time or what may be more humorous to you and your friends. And then in middle school and high school some people stop dressing up altogether, a personal choice I suppose. But the costumes for girls the costumes get smaller and for most they begin to get less attention to detail put into them.

And when are you too old for trick-or-treating? I believe that being a senior this may be my last year attempting to trick-or-treat. After that I’ll retire, and take my kids one day to enjoy what I enjoyed once as a kid.

Granted, there was an incidence my sophomore year. I was dressed up as Sandra Dee from Grease, my friend Brooke was Raggedy Anne, and my friend Anna was little “dead” riding hood. We had a great time dressing up and doing our make up and hair and getting ourselves into character. However, at one house we were denied candy.

Denied candy? Who has ever heard of such a thing on Halloween? But we were, and the lady just stared at us coldly waiting for us to leave. We were too old she had told us. So maybe some think that as teenagers it’s time to hang the cap up.

But I believe that we only have a few years left until we’re adults, so why not dress up? Why not channel your inner adolescence and have fun with people you care about? Throw a scary movie marathon, go to a haunted house with your friends, try apple bobbing, eat too many caramel apples, throw a bonfire, tell a scary story, carve a pumpkin with that special someone, or play a prank. Why not?

Unknown Artist: Jen Sygit

Written by: Elizabeth Prieskorn '13

 Jen Sygit’s music is a good blend of acoustic and folk. Jen is from Port Huron, Michigan and grew up in the small town of Marysville. Throughout her life, Jen has always had a strong love of music and musical instruments. During elementary, middle, and high school Jen could be found writing songs at any time throughout the day and playing them in her parent’s basement on their beat up organ.

          Seeing her gift with music, her parents encouraged Jen to audition for the Interlochen Fine Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI. Jen was accepted and spent several years at the camp studying voice, visual arts, piano, and trombone. Interlochen is an outstanding music camp which has creative writing, dance, motion picture arts, music, theatre, visual arts, and academics. It’s quite an accomplishment to be accepted into the school and to study there.

           In 1999, in order to attend Michigan State University, Jen moved to Lansing. She quickly surveyed the area and the musical scene that it had. She scoped out the top blue jams and open mics in the neighborhood; and soon enough had her first gig. She started out as a front woman for a band called Murdawg who played more blues-rock music.

          During her time with Murdawg, Jen started working at Elderly Instruments; a world-renowned music store in Lansing. Most of the workers at Elderly Instruments are musicians so it was a perfect opportunity for Jen to make some money as well as to expand her knowledge of music and instruments. She worked there for three years and Jen enhanced her acoustic sound as well as learning how to work and play other instruments.

          Jen has come a long way from playing the organ in her basement, and now has three albums, Here to There, So Long Pollyanna, and Leaving Marshall St. Jen is a well-known local at Dagwood Tavern in Lansing and has been performing there for a good five years. At this point, Jen is part of a band called Stella! They have been working on their new album in Brooklyn, NY. Stella! is a 4 person band consisting of Jo Serrapere, Tahmineh Guermany, Katie Grace and Jen Sygit.

           Stella! has performed on Dave Marsh’s Sirius/XM show, ‘Kick out the Jams’. So Long Pollyanna was also played on the show.

          Jen Sygit has come a long way since her childhood and is planning on a long continued career in the music industry.

Movie Quote of the Month

"One, two. Freddie's coming for you.
Three, four. Better lock the door.
Five, six. Grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight. Gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten. Never sleep again."


- Nightmare on Elm Street