Summer Ballentine: 300 word Feature

He’s walking quietly behind the rest of his class, perfectly content to watch as they herd together like a pack of animals and make their way en masse to the computer lab. Although his aloof attitude screams, “I don’t care, just leave me alone and let me enjoy the mediocrity of life in solitude,” the passion in his voice says otherwise.

The passion in Senior Adam Gulick’s voice stems from his dedication to basketball. He speaks with eloquence as he explains the beauty of the court, the sacred bonds of brotherhood and his fear of losing something he loves. The nonchalant facade fades as the fire in his eyes alights.

With words he conjures up a court, a ball and a hoard of sweaty teenage boys. What was an everyday basketball game reveals itself to be something more, something beyond words. Court becomes battleground, ball become sword. The sweaty teenage boys? Legends. It might be the raging testosterone coursing through their veins, but it might be something more. Something inside awakens and magic turns ordinary into supernatural.

He describes the feeling of finally defeating their school rival, the Holt High School Rams. In the struggle, Gulick is lost. No longer is he Adam Gulick, Co-Captain of the Grand ledge Comets. In this moment he is the Comets. He is his coach and his team mates. He is part of something larger and more beautiful than himself. In this moment, he is everything.

The game ends and he is Adam Gulick again. He no longer feels the breathing of his rival against his neck or the hearts of his team mates beating as one. But he knows it now. He understands the feeling and is changed because of it.

So now his walk of seclusion means something else. He walks alone because he understands the superficiality of the word, “alone.” He understands he is a part of everything, although it may not always seem that way.

Or maybe it’s his testosterone. After all there was a pretty fly girl walking by herself as well.

Taking a photo-Bryan Burt

When taking photographs I find myself way behind the times. In the media today I can find photos that express detail and are breath taking. However when I look at my photos it is anything but.
After talking to Ian I learned that it takes time and many tries to get that perfect photo.
It takes patience.
Ian also advised me to play around with my camera. The only way you can learn is to try it out for yourself. And this is advice that is worth more than a thousand words.

Divorce and it’s Tole

(Brittany Smigelski
Grand Ledge High School)

Divorce is often a tough subject for students to talk about; especially because it is happening more and more frequently. Many get lucky and can see both parents, whereas others never see the one who leaves again.
When I found out my father was never coming back, it had not really affected me at the time. I was young and I had no idea who my father was. I had my older sister and my mother when she decided she wanted to be around. I did not need my father.
As I got older, however, the thought changed. It got harder and harder to cope with the fact all my friends had both parents around when I have never had a male figure in my life; not even a brother.
It hit me extremely hard going to weddings and seeing the father walk the bride down the isle. Not to mention the father/daughter dance that I will never experience. My father has cut himself from my life by choice and it was hard.
Years passed and I have become a 16-year-old that someone can be proud of. I am and all “A” student and have been involved in many clubs and activities. One I am particularly proud of is being feature editor of my school newspaper.
It may be hard living without one parent and it is heartbreaking at times, but I am one of many who has survived and shown accomplishment. I have made it without my father, how sad it may sound, I have done it.

Divorce

Rachel Jackson
Saline High School

Throughout my schooling , I’ve always been in classes where other students tell me their parents are divorced; however, they never explain why that is. No matter now many times people explain that their parents are no longer together, they never have a reason why. What is the reason that so many people have gotten divorces? My parents have been married for twenty-eight years and divorce is not even a concern in my mind. But to other youths, divorces are likely to happen in their families. I guess my point in this blog is to ask why people get divorces? There are studies that show certain trends among married couples and when and why they divorced, but that doesn’t explain how personal it is to everyone. Divorces are so common now that it doesn’t seem strange to hear about it among anyone, famous or not. So my question to you is, if your parents are divorced, why do you think they split up; and if they are still together, why do you think so many people are divorced?

Interview to the indepth (assign 1)

I could barely take it all in. He had so much to tell, giving me so little time to write. Question after question I got my craved open ended response. His words came out so carefree but his eyes spoke of much more. I could tell he wanted to express his answer in the best way possible. With every answer he gave, I felted to give me a little more. He wanted to give me more emotion but he couldn’t — he didn’t. It’s as if he felt a struggle in his life but wasn’t sure how to explain it or what story to put with it. All the information he shared with me was wonderful and meaningful, but I felt he had more to his past and current. Just like there is more to this messed up world than just the ordinary; there’s truth and worry. He is an interesting individual of whom I felt was extremely relatable, but not completely ready to tell the whole truth and worry about his world. Am I looking into it too much? Did i not dig deep enough?

-Angela Cuppernoll

Megan’s final blog

I met a girl named Nikki, and she had quite a story to tell. She told me about when she was only in sixth grade, she tore her acl during a volleyball game. One of her doctors actually put her case in a book they were writing because she was the youngest patient they had ever seen. This event was particularly difficult for her I think because she was so good at volleyball and she was always running around being crazy. Its a sad thing, having all that taken away from you, and I applaud her for making it through. I can’t even imagine not being able to do simple things like go on a moon bounce at a school dance. I think also, she learned a lot from the experience. I mean, she learned a whole new sport and is even good at it now! Not only that kind of stuff, but I bet she learned more about not giving up and determination. I think thats cool. I’ve been fortunate enough to not have many bad things happen to me, so I’ve never been forced to deal with and learn from a truly bad experience.

We are all curious to know who is there. – Shayna Mandell

Knock, Knock!
Who’s there?
Robin
Robin Who?
Robbin’ you!!! So hand over all your money!

That’s what I think of money. It’s kind of a big joke. I mean, not really but who wants to talk about it all day.

You don’t need to be smart to have an opinion. You don’t even need to be right. All you need to have an opinion is an opinion. I’d rather not have one.

Last night I attended a discussion about the economy. It was more like lecture. But it was mostly a waste of time. I don’t see the relevance in arguing. It’s not like anyone’s fate depended on it. It’s not like the majority of the spectators (bored-ass teenagers) learned much from it. In fact I left feeling more stupid. Not fully understanding a subject and then being forced to dive in the middle of it is extremely intimidating.

If it were up to me, we would have used that time for knock knock jokes. There are something everyone can agree one. We are all curious to know who is there.

Summer Ballentine: Econo-Me Conference Reflection

In the crowded conference room, I sat scribbling illegible notes while listening to four speakers discuss things as varying as good ol’ D-town to the Great Depression. Perhaps it was lack of necessary sleep, but I felt I was not the only one reduced to sketching pictures of cartoon hedgehogs in my stenograph rather than quoting the less-then riveting discussion taking place.

The Econo-Me conference, though geared towards students and intended to be a more personalized approach to the admittedly “abstract concept,” lacked the energy necessary to capture high school journalist’s attention. Although Charles Ballard spoke informatively and poignantly about economic issues particularly pertinent to students, the monotonous tone used by most of the speakers was comparable to listening to Gramma Ingrid rant about the cost of postage stamps when she was a young whippersnapper.

Like Harry Potter struggling to keep his eyes open during Professor Binn’s history class, I noticed my mind wandering away from the topic at hand and returning to more interesting things: the status of my cuticles, where I had gotten that ominous stain on my favorite shirt, the path of a fly buzzing distractedly around the head of the woman sitting in front of me.

Although the speakers were well-educated about the affect of economics on ordinary student life, the valuable information they gave was hidden in a mumbled jarble most students are unwilling to even attempt to understand. Point being that even if the speakers were able to communicate their thoughts on an important and relevant issue, no one was listening.

News Story – Econo-me Seminar

Gabrielle Kromer
Grand Ledge High School
On Tuesday, August 5, a seminar was held at Anthony Hall on the MSU campus, enabling students to learn more about Michigan’s economy and how some the problems in the state can be fixed. The seminar was titled Econo-me and was meant to focus the discussions on the way students are affected by the rise and fall of unemployment, gas prices, and the problems facing our country.
In order for the students attending the seminar to get their questions answered about the economy, a panel of diverse individuals was there to educate the students and tell them ways they can help Michigan’s economy.
The first panel member to introduce themselves was Charles L. Ballard. Ballard works in the Professional Department of Economics at Michigan State University and explained the best way that young adults can help Michigan’s economy.
“When you get into college, continue to study economics because it is important to know what you are talking about,” Ballard said.
The next panel member was Jeremy Steele, a business reporter for Lansing State Journal, explained that the number of jobs closing in Michigan continues to increase and there are also a high number of foreclosures on homes in Michigan as well. While Steele has worked in Michigan most of his career, he explained that it is beneficial to find a career in another state in order to gain more experience.
“You don’t go through a week without jobs closing. In order to help the economy, figure out what the economy means to you,” Steele said.
Lansing School District Superintendent, T.C. Wallace Jr. brought a different perspective to the seminar and explained how the economy affects schools, and in turn, how schools affect the economy.
“The economy is critically important to public schools. What we are dealing with now in universal,” Wallace said.
The last member of the panel was Emily Wilkins, a senior from Mercy High School. Emily explained the troubles that the economy has placed on her family and on her as a student.
“The economy is something that hangs over my head everyday and I worry about it constantly,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins also explained that her father has worked at Ford Motor Company for 20 years and their family was always pressured by a chance that he could be laid-off at almost anytime. Her family had to think about how much they would have to cut back because of the chance of an unemployed member of the family.
After the panel members told the audience how the economy affected them, the members in the audience had the chance to ask questions of their own and get different opinions and facts from the panel.

Interesting details from “Econo-me”

By Angela Haddad

Dr. Charles L. Ballard, author of Michigan’s Economic Future, began texting right before the opening statements of today’s economy seminar, creatively called “Econo-me”. Sitting right beside him was business reporter of the Lansing Journal Jeremy Steele, also using his cellular device. But, just as Chad Sanders took the center of the floor to say “Please, make sure all cells are off,” both men had put their phones down. Even the students, choosing at first seats in the further end of the lecture room, did not seem enthusiastic about the topic of the seminar. However that was all about to change.
Consisting of Dr. Ballard, Steele, Superintendent of Lansing schools T. C. Wallace, and Mercy High School Student Emily Wilkins, the panel was now ready to give its opening statement, thus launching the ironic, informative, and heated seminar about the economy.
Maybe it was the colorful bottles of Vitamin Water perfectly placed to the right of each panel member, or Dr. Ballard’s attempt to sell his book (accepting both “cash and credit cards”), or Wilkins’ comment on how “great” the cheese cubes were at Max and Erma’s Restaurant that made the seminar seem a tad ironic. Who knows, maybe advertising at economy seminars could solve the crisis. Or, perhaps the irony was in Wilkins’ dozing off, unseen to Dr. Ballard, during his “economy is not boring” speech.
Despite the irony of the seminar, it was quite informative. Each panel member was able to give a little bit of insight to the audience. Dr. Ballard explained that it is quite difficult to accurately predict where the young audience members will end up for their future careers, since declining industries demands the formations of new ones—ones that may not even exist yet. Wallace explained the tremendous importance of getting a college education, because, despite all the layoffs, many positions are open—positions that require a college degree. Lastly, Steele explained the importance of putting a human face to the crisis, which then Wilkins succeeded in doing through sharing a personal experience.
However ironic and informative the seminar may have been, it was not until the end of the question session that made the audience and panel members jump in their seats. The man to blame was MIPA student Jon Fench, who asked which presidential candidate had the best plan to solve the economic crisis. Each panel member chose a candidate except Steele, to whom the audience gave a resounding ‘boo’ in comparison to the blast of clapping it gave to every other panelist.
Although the economy seminar may have seemed boring at first, it clearly turned out to be a truly entertaining and informative experience.
If you had to put your money somewhere, would it go towards Vitamin Water, Dr. Ballard’s Michigan’s Economic Future, or Max and Erma’s cheese cubes?
What was the best bit of information you learned?
Which candidate do you think has the best plan for the economic crisis?

The panel members

[caption id="attachment_198" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Emily sleeps during the boring \"economy is not boring\" speech"][/caption]

Dr. Ballard makes some profits

[caption id="attachment_201" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Dr. Ballard making more profits"][/caption]

Yes, even more...

[caption id="attachment_203" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The vitamin water"][/caption]

John Fenzch asks best question of thbe night

[caption id="attachment_206" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Audience members relate to panelists"][/caption]