9.18.

2009 haslett high school 5450 marsh road haslett mi 48840 volume 15 issue 1

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Senior Ian Culver watches the

s. Haslett-Corunna football game from

es
the student section.
photo by taylor PARKER
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Pure Haslett
2 September 18, 2009 news
Meridian Last September, state budget
cuts caused all 12 schools ex-
cept Haslett to pull their fund-
of funding,” Duda said. “The
Haslett Foundation receives
about $7,400 from the state ev-
After the decision to close
MHS was reached, the Haslett
School District made sure stu-
school, but still see it as a very
unfortunate event. “I under-
stand (MHS) was closing due
program we are looking very
closely at is called Ombuds-
man. Waverly Public schools

High shuts ing from MHS. “The Haslett

Board of Education was more
ery year for each student. To
educate an alternative student,
dents who wanted to finish or
continue their education were
to budget problems, but there
is a need for a program of that
is currently using this program
and experiencing a lot of suc-

down for
than willing to continue with it cost us $4000 more due to assisted. “We were able to fin- type,” science teacher Laura cess with 88 percent of the stu-
the program if the other school smaller teacher-to-student ratios. ish up most students with either Vickery said. Both Vickery and dents enrolled graduating last
districts helped pay their costs,” The teen parent child care pro- a diploma or G.E.D.,” Duda social studies teacher Russel Ol- spring.”

good Duda said. “Haslett was going

by emma CLAUCHERTY
For the past 13 years, Merid-
ian High School provided a
second chance for Lansing area
students who needed an alter-
native form of education.
“(MHS) was something the
Board of Education was very
proud of in Haslett. It gave us
the ability to offer a second
chance for students,” Superin-
tendent Mike Duda said. “We
did have a number of success
stories there. However, it be-
came financially difficult to of-
fer that opportunity.”
to take care of their students
and the expectation was the
other districts would fund their
own students. Districts were
receiving less money from
the state though and they just
didn’t have the money to sup-
port the program.”
The board of education
planned to keep the school open
but could only fund Haslett stu-
dents. The teen parent program
was cut as well.
Plans for MHS changed dras-
tically again last winter when
the Board of Education decided
to shut down the school com-
pletely. “It was a result of lack
gram cost us another $2,500 ex-
tra. With only $7,400 a student
you can see we were starting to
lose money there.”
In addition to lack of fund-
ing, the state high school re-
form was a major factor in the
shutting down of MHS. “The
high school reform increased
the number of credits it took to
graduate high school. A lot of
the classes offered at Meridian
would not be suitable to receive
a diploma and we couldn’t offer
the classes they needed to grad-
uate.” Duda said. “In essence,
they would’ve been forced at
some point to cross back into a
general high school.”
said. “There were less than five
students at the end of the year
who needed additional classes
to finish their education. Some
of them are enrolled at HHS
while other students explored
other opportunities such as
Lansing Community College.”
Sophomore Nathan Lo-
pez transferred this year from
MHS to HHS full time. “It’s
more of a challenge. We didn’t
have homework at Meridian,”
Lopez said. “I’d rather be at
HHS though because it’s a bet-
ter education and I’m with my
friends.”
MHS teachers understand
the reasons for closing the
son teach at HHS this year after
more than a decade of being at
Meridian. “The school board
was trying to make the best
decision for the Haslett commu-
nity at large,” Olson said. “It’s
really sad for the young people
who don’t get to take advantage
of the school, though.”
Despite no longer having an
alternative school, the school
district is still searching for tools
to help educate alternative stu-
dents. “East Lansing, Haslett,
Okemos and Williamston are
currently exploring programs
that will benefit our students in
the future,” Duda said. “One
such alternative high school
Staff members do not believe
the increased graduation re-
quirements increase the need for
an alternative high school. “Last
year at Haslett High School, we
didn’t send any students to Me-
ridian High School,” Duda said.
“That really is a tribute to the
staff in terms of trying to find dif-
ferent ways to meet the needs of
students who have struggled in
the past.”
“As more people are chal-
lenged, more people will want
to drop out,” Olson said. “But
people in education are inno-
vative. They are going to find
ways within the system to help
struggling students.”

Superintendent learns to be careful of what he says tionable.”

by elizabeth YOUNG
Superintendent Mike Duda
was supposed to meet with Vi-
king Longboat editor-in-chief
Emma Claucherty for an inter-
view when he strode into the
fifth hour journalism class Sept.
9.
But a call to his cell phone
changed his plans.
“Emma was in the back of
the room and the phone call
that came was from somebody
who had noticed…a story that
John Schneider was working
on,” Duda said.
Senior Liz Baker remem-
bered what happened next.
“He was fired up and he
came to the front of the class
and he said, ‘This is a learning
moment,’” Baker said.
The superintendent decided
that this was the perfect oppor-
tunity to teach the journalism
students an important lesson.
“My intention…was to say to
this journalism class, ‘This was
what my intention was, but this
is why you gotta be careful with
something that you print, some-
thing that you write,’” Duda
said. “And this is the landmine
that I’ve kind of fallen into.”
The “landmine” Duda re-
ferred to was his decision to in-
corporate an audio clip called
Australian School Answering
Machine into a recent staff
presentation. The clip – a sa-
tirical take on the types of calls
made to a school office – was
intended to balance the serious
presentation with some light-
heartedness.
“We had just gone through
a period where we had laid off
eight teachers, actually nine
teachers,” Duda said. “And the
economic outlook for the future
is very, very dim right now in
the state of Michigan, not very
positive. So the entire…audio-
video slide presentation was an
attempt to provide some humor
into what could be described
otherwise as a pretty down sub-
ject for people.”
However, not all of the staff
members found it humorous.
The clip begins by saying:
“To lie about why your child
is absent, press 1.”
“To make excuses for why
your child did not do his home-
work, press 2.”
It then continues on that
thread. But the final line
– which tells people who need
another language to “move to
a country that speaks it” – is
what made some people angry.
Soon enough, the blog on Sch-
neider’s Lansing State Journal
article was choked with com-
ments as people rushed to ei-
ther criticize or defend Duda.
After Baker read the last line
of the audio clip, she could see
why it was controversial.
“It was not worded well,”
Baker said. “If it was taken as
a joke…but he was in a profes-
sional setting, so it’s just ques-
Senior Casey VanDenBerg
understood Duda’s intentions,
but agreed that the clip could
have used some editing.
“I can see him wanting to
add humor,” VanDenBerg
said. “I certainly can’t argue
with that because I’d imagine
that staff meetings can be a
little dry. But that is something
that, perhaps the last line could
have been left out.”
However, both VanDenBerg
and Baker agreed that the com-
ments posted on the blogs were
severe and ill-founded.
“I think that it’s pretty clear
that those people tend to judge
very quickly and that before
people comment on things,
they should probably have a
little better understanding of
the situation because anybody
can see that Mr. Duda didn’t
mean it in a derogatory man-
ner,” VanDenBerg said.
“Some of the stuff was just
harsh,” Baker said. “They don’t
know that person on that sort
of level, they don’t know what
type of man he is. So how can
they go say he’s an idiot or
something? It’s not right.”
While Duda doesn’t read the
blogs, he sees this incident as
an important “learning experi-
ence.”
“It’s an opportunity for my-
self and for others to take a
look at perhaps some of the
ways that they approach every-
day life,” Duda said. “I have
had more than many, many
conversations over the last 10
days with folks – when I say
different people, I’ve been con-
tacted by different press people
and outside organizations that
are not affiliated with Haslett
Public Schools – how they per-
ceive this [incident].”
For example, Duda believed
that comedic sitcoms may have
influenced the way certain
words and phrases are viewed
today.
“I think if you were to watch
‘Seinfeld’ or ‘South Park’ or
some of those things that are
very, very offensive, you might
become desensitized to what
others are feeling,” Duda said.
Since the incident, Duda
has taken action to reach out
to other staff members and to
uphold the school district’s val-
ues.
“First of all, I take full re-
sponsibility for this,” Duda said.
“Secondarily, I have apologized
to the entire staff and they have
received an email from me,
an email with an invitation to
come and see me if they want
to talk about it further.
“And I’m very heartfelt in
my sincerity about this. This
is a school district that has
embraced diversity, is proud
of the things we have in place
here. It was hurtful that some-
one would think that was my
intention.”

Back to School Answers in Black and White

Why did the yearbook Why did the athletic fee and
Why was the master schedule costs go up? athletic pass costs go up?
delayed so much?
“The cost for producing the book increases “To avoid cutting $35,000 from
every year. We haven’t raised the price in at the budget we raised the ath-
“With all of the budget cuts, the master sched- least five years so we raised it this year in letic fee $50 in order to make
ule ended up coming out late and delayed the order to cover those rising costs. We still have up for it. Athletic pass costs
[scheduling] process.” one of the least expensive yearbooks in the went up to raise more funds for
-associate principal Darren Ferguson area.” -yearbook adviser Julie Price the sports teams.”
-athletic director Jamie Gent
3 September 18, 2009
New coach and new
tactics motivate soccer
team this season
by jerry EASTWOOD
What does four seasons in a year have to do with soccer?
We’re not talking weather here, we’re talking soccer.
This is the new head soccer coach Bill Boyle’s approach to
coaching the varsity boys team this season.
“We are breaking down our soccer season into four different
seasons,” Boyle said. “Each season is divided into four games per
season.”
Boyle has broken it down so the players can see how they im-
prove and progress through the season. Along with helping the
Vikings recognize their improvement, Boyle has stressed the im-
portance of chemistry and communication on the field.
“Communication is a weakness for us,” Boyle said. “When we
don’t talk, we give up a lot of goals and lose.”
During practice, Boyle makes sure the team constantly chats
with each other on the field. When the boys don’t talk, it means
doing pushups. Senior captain Cody Little has seen the success
through interacting with his teammates.
“Communication has been vital to our team development,”
Little said. “We aren’t yet to where we need to be but we are
continually growing. We talk to each other on the field more and
more which allows us to operate more effectively in matches.”
Boyle is the former soccer coach at Olivet College. This sum-
mer, he got a student teaching job at Sexton High School and
was looking for an actual high school position. Boyle found that
job over the summer by becoming the new Haslett varsity soccer
coach.
Boyle also had an advantage with these players because he
knew many of them from the soccer clubs and knew the talent
they have. Players on the team have given positive feedback on
his coaching.
Football team puts 2008 season behind it
by jerry EASTWOOD
Coach Charlie Otlewski is enforcing a new mantra to the
varsity football team this fall.
“Our theme for the year is to not be like 2008,” senior captain
Jamie Burns said. “Coach [Otlewski] wants us to be a family and
a united team.”
Many of the players and coaches felt as if the team from 2008
only played for themselves to put up their statistics, rather than
being a team and winning as a team. This was the reason for the
theme this season. Players were able to get the idea of being a
team this summer after they attended Camp Tapico for a week.
Players felt that it helped them get to know their teammates bet-
ter.
“We spent five days with each other,” junior Steve Lott said,
“People we didn’t know we got to meet them.”
Junior Jake Schaibly also felt like the camp was good to get
to know his teammates better.
“Other than practice at camp, we pretty much hung out and
got to know each other,” he said.
One of the big differences on this team is that there are only
12 seniors. This is one of the smallest senior classes Otlewski
has had since he became the coach in 1994. It may seem that
Otlewski would take a different approach in handling things this
season. In reality, he hasn’t changed tactics at all.
“You don’t handle things differently,” Otlewski said, “We are
just younger at more positions.”
Even though there is a small number of seniors on the team,
many of the underclassmen have seen the seniors step up become
team leaders. They see it on and off the field.
“[The seniors] get on our case when we don’t do well,” junior
Andrew Heinz said. “They also pump us up before games.”
“They work hard and they are vocal leaders.” sophomore
Billy Hastings said. Hastings is one of only three sophomores
on the football team this season and is impressed by how driven
they are.
One of the critical pieces for success to this team is being a
“[Coach Boyle] is a good guy,” senior captain Hawken Hanna
said. “He pushes us to get better and has a lot of knowledge on
the game. He is a soccer-minded person.”
Another senior captain, Kyle Levine, also has seen the contribu-
tion Boyle brings to the program.
“[Coach Boyle] is a good coach,” Levine said, “He has brought
different techniques and he has a better sense of the game.”
Boyle has helped his players grow confident in their skills and
as a team in general.
“He has made a great atmosphere and has what we need to win
states this year,” senior Mikey Manuel said.
Boyle has been a vital role to the team’s success with the new
tactics he has brought. This has gotten the players’ attention
throughout the season.
“We have learned new ways of defending and attacking the ball
that will increase our efficiency,” Little said, “It has definitely made
us better than our competition.”
“Coach has taught us a different way to play the game,” Manuel
said. “He has new formations to help the offense and defense.”
Coach Boyle also emphasizes the importance of chemistry to a
team. He knows that it is critical to the Vikings’ success on and
off the field.
The team has been focusing on interacting with each other since
the start of two-a-days this summer. Players would run together
and practice for over four hours a day, six days a week for two
weeks. During the season, they have team dinners and captain
practices where the captains, not the coaches, call and run the
practices. Many of these players have also been playing together
for a long time.
“The amount of time spent together by the players on this team
and the experience we bring to this team is unparalleled,” Little
said, “The seniors have been playing together since elementary
school and have experience playing together, which helps us
greatly on the field.”
The Vikings so far are 9-1, which includes winning the Haslett
Invitational over the summer and huge wins against Grand Ledge
and Williamston. With four games remaining in the regular sea-
son, the team is excited for the playoffs.
“We will go to districts and we have the best shot at states we
have had in years,” Little said. “We are confident under our new
coach and new game plan.”
The Haslett
football team
walks to the
locker room
before their
game against
Corunna.
photo by taylor
PARKER
family. Each Thursday night, the team has a dinner at a player’s
house and every Friday morning, the team has a team breakfast at
Blondie’s Barn. They also do some bonding after practice.
“On Wednesday, we watch game film after practice,” Burns
said. “Afterwards, we usually go hang out, get some pizza and
play ping pong.”
So far, the Vikings are 2-1, including a big win at East Lansing.
Coach Otlewski gives the credit to the team’s confidence, but it
also goes to the player’s individual work ethic.
“Everyone is working hard,” Schaibly said. “Everyone is wor-
rying about what they have to do and they are making sure every-
one is stepping up.”
“Our hard work is better than other teams and we hit harder,”
Hastings said.
The team still has a tough road ahead. Four of the next five
games are away including at Fowlerville and at Williamston, in
which the team will face two former teammates, Reggie Duncan
and Ryan Oberg. But all the players are confident that they will
do great in the season and even go far in the playoffs. They also
expect to improve each and every game.
“Our ultimate goal is to be state champs,” Burns said, “Haslett
has never won a state championship in football and we want to
do that.”
sports
Scoreboard
Some quick hits on how
the fall sports are measuring
up so far this season
by jerry EASTWOOD and lexis GUARNACCIA
Boys Tennis
Record: 10-1
Key Returning Starters: Seniors Paul Lucas, Ryan
Cyzman, Connor Davis and Brennen O’Berski
Player on the Rise: Sophomore Zach Bepler and
freshman Aaron Latch
Thoughts on the Rest of the Season: “We expect to
go undefeated for the rest of the season. We also
think we are going to win regionals.” Senior Con-
nor Davis
Girls Golf
Record: 3-0
Key Returning Starters: Senior Kristin Choi, junior
Maddy Brown, sophomores Erin Lawrence and
Chelsea Root
Players on the Rise: Junior Paige Grettenberger and
sophomore Daisy Yonkus
What are your goals for this year: “We hope to go
undefeated and place higher in leagues this year.”
Junior Maddy Brown
Cross Country
Record: 0-0 but Boys placed 3rd in the Bath Invita-
tional and 5th in the Corunna Invitational and the
Girls placed 5th in the Bath Invitational and 7th in
the Corunna Invitational
Key Returning Starters: Seniors Ian Hancke and John
Roehr, sophomores Alex Vancamp, Jordan Strick-
ler and Tara Mahon
Players on the Rise: Sophomores Ellen Corder and
Travis Stirewalt Freshman Sierra Bane
What are your goals for this year: “We want to make
it to states and establish ourselves as one of the
best teams in the area.” Sophomore Ryan Beyea
Volleyball
Record: 13-1-2
Key Returning Starters: Seniors Kimmy Schmid,
Emily Bird, Molly Stephens and Dana Alexander,
junior Molly Duda
Players on the Rise: Juniors Morgan Patterson and
Allie Horstman
Thoughts on the Rest of the Season: “We have many
returning players and we’ve already improved a
lot since the beginning of the season. We’re really
looking forward to what we can accomplish as a
team.” Junior Miranda Rogers
Girls Swimming and Diving
Record: 2-0
Key Returning Starters: Seniors Tiffany Oricchio,
Louise Harder and Bailey McMillan, sophomore
Victoria Bishop
Players on the Rise: Freshman Jenny Jess and Chris-
tine Harder
Thoughts on the Team: “We have great captains this
year who rack up points for our meets.” Junior
Erin Gorman
4
September 18, 2009

photo story by Taylor PARKER • graphic by Andrew BEAUMAN

Members of “The Cone Squad”, seniors Jerry Eastwood, Brennen O’ Berski, Dylan Oxender,
Ryan Cyzman, Wes Silkworth, Josh Headley and Scott Thrun, show their spirit at the DeWitt
football game Sept. 11.

Game Day!

11
Top left: The varsity
offense lines up be-
hind junior center
Cory Smith.
Bottom left:
Junior Liz Ringlien
and the rest of the
Haslett Band plays
music for the crowd
before the DeWitt
game.
Top right: Junior Shelby
Wilson and the varsity
cheer team work to get
the student section
revved up for the DeWitt
game.
Bottom right:
Juniors Allie Horstman,
Courtney Black and
Games to go Michelle Schimpke root
on the football team .
until Ford Field